Guardians of the Universe
by thew40
Summary: [ABANDONED]To find Count Marzo, Peacekeeper must confront TriKlops and find the secret to his visions. Sequel to MOTU: The Final Adventure. Please R
1. Author's Note

A Note from the Author

What happens when there's no more need to save the world? What happens when you're a hero and all the villains have been removed form the scene?

That was one of the many questions I planned to tackle when I first dreamed up "Guardians of the Universe." He-Man and She-Ra are no more. Both Adam and Adora left that lifestyle behind them 25 years ago. No longer are their responsibility to fight against King Hiss, Skeletor, and Hordak. Nope. Now it's to raise their children and deal with their new leadership of Eternia and Etheria.

Easier said than done, huh?

Then what happens when a new power arrives, threatening far more than just Eternia and Etheria? Who will answer the call of duty? Who will take up arms against those doing great evil? Easy question. The kids.

Ever since I finished "Masters of the Universe: The Final Adventure," I've been toying around with the idea of all-new, all-original characters to take up the heroes of old place. Of course, we'll still be seeing a lot of the old gang, but we've got some brand new and never-before-seen characters coming up.

Which, of course, makes me say the following - He-Man, She-Ra, MOTU, NA, TMP, POP, and so forth are all the property of their original characters and are not mine. Any original characters in this story are my own. Please e-mail me if you would like permission to use them.

Okay, so that's it. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Sincerely,

Thew40


	2. Prelude and Backstory

Prelude and Backstory

Many years ago, a race called the Zodak came to the magical world of Eternia and gave the people that resided on that planet vast, powerful technology. When they did this, they also took a group of Eternians and placed them on Eternia's sister world, Etheria. Then, they made sure that the Eternians balance of good and evil was disrupted. Then, the Zodak watched from afar to see which force (good or evil) would be dominant. While they experimented on Eternia, Etheria was left as a control group to compare to.

Hoping to right the balance, the Elders created the three Great Towers. One channeled the power of evil that came from Snake Mountain. A second channeled the power of good that came from Castle Grayskull. The central tower was to combine and balance the power. But the Elders accidentally invoked the evil of King Hiss and his Snake Men. They wanted to claim the Great Towers for themselves, but the keeper of Castle Grayskull, the Sorceress, stopped them. The valiant man named He-Ro worked with the Sorceress in sealing the Snake Men away. The Elders then sunk the Great Towers, knowing that it was a failure.

Still, though, the balance remained undone. The Elders focused all of their power into Grayskull. And most importantly, into the forging of the Great Swords. These four swords were created by beings called the First Ones. The First Ones are mysterious entities that were able to use both magic and science. The Great Swords were then sealed within Castle Grayskull. For order was on the horizon once again.

The Elders kept the balance for many years. And then, one day, a pupil to the Elders named Hordak became interested in the evil ways of King Hiss. He turned against the Elders and joined with the ancient conqueror known as Horde Prime. Horde Prime gave Hordak an army to destroy Eternia's capital, Eternos. After years of seclusion, the Elders placed the heir to the Eternian throne out of hiding. His name was Miro. He defended Eternos against the first wave of assaults from Hordak.

Horde Prime was unsure of his agent's competence, so he sent forth Morgoth to test the meddle of Eternia. A young woman named Telana took up the mantle of Sorceress and was able to defeat Morgoth. This impressed Horde Prime, so he continued to support Hordak. 

As Hordak slowly rebuilt his army at Snake Mountain, Keldor, son of Miro, became interested in evil as well. He snuck into Castle Grayskull and stole the Swords of Darkness and Deception. Man-At-Arms Duncan and Sorceress tried to stop him. But Keldor still escaped with the Sword of Darkness, while the Sword of Deception fell into the chasm around Grayskull. King Miro, then, vanished - leaving Keldor's brother, Randor, in command. This angered Keldor and after a failed coup, he joined with Hordak.

At this time, a ship from the planet Earth crashed onto Eternia. Its passenger was a beautiful woman named Marlena. She fell in love and married Randor. Together, they had a set of twins - Adam and Adora. But Hordak and Keldor attacked and kidnapped Adora. Keldor was left behind as Hordak escaped to Etheria, where he became ruler. Keldor eventually escaped and launched a secondary coup, this time it costing him his face.

Duncan, the Man-At-Arms, claimed to adopt a young baby named Teela. In fact, Teela was the love child of him and Sorceress Telana, but she could not raise her. 

In time, Adam grew up. He never knew his sister; she had been wiped from the memories of those that weren't related to her. Soon, though, Adam was forced to take up one of the Great Swords (the Sword of Power) and became He-Man. He-Man and his allies waged war on Keldor (who had renamed himself Skeletor) for years. Skeletor was getting desperate and released the Snake Men from their prison. King Hiss allied himself with Skeletor only to raise the Great Towers once more. Luckily, though, He-Man took command of the Towers and prevented King Hiss from reaching them.

As King Hiss tried to take the Great Towers, Skeletor continued to fix his gaze on Castle Grayskull. Within the halls of the Castle, the Sorceress came to realize that Adora was alive on Etheria. She sent He-Man to deliver the Sword of Protection to Adora, so that she could become She-Ra and overthrow Hordak. Adora, though she was raised by Hordak, came to understand that he must be defeated. So, Adora became She-Ra and fought against Hordak.

Some years later, He-Man was contacted by a race from a distant planet called Primus. Primus was under constant attack from Mutant terrorists and needed his help. He-Man, though it would take him away from his friends and family, decided to aid Primus. This decision was reached when he discovered that Skeletor himself had traveled to Primus as well.

For five years, He-Man battled alongside the likes of Flipshot and Hydron against Brakk and Skeletor. When the battle was over, He-Man set his sights for Eternia. 

But when He-Man returned, he was shocked at what happened in his absence. Hordak had gained the Sword of Deception and used its power to encase Etheria in oil that would add all life force to his own. Furthermore, Hordak conquered Eternia and even signed a peace treaty with King Hiss and Snake Mountain. Hordak had also killed Horde Prime himself.

He-Man was immediately reunited with She-Ra. Together, they overthrew Hordak and restored Eternia. Etheria was later returned to normal by the entity Light-Hope. King Randor was returned to power. Adam, though, was faced with his greatest challenge when he was chasing down King Hiss. He discovered that all the battles and all of the sacrifices were nothing more than an experiment conducted by the Zodak to decide which cosmic force to be a part of.

Skeletor returned then and retrieved the Book of Living Spells. With this book, he learned of this truth as well. While the mage Orko sunk the Great Towers, Skeletor sought after Grayskull. The Book of Living Spells would allow him inside and give him to ability to absorb the power the Elders instilled in Eternia to restore the balance. In short, he would become more powerful than he had even ever imagined.

He-Man and his forces battled with Skeletor and were able to stop him by returning Skeletor into the form of Keldor. Keldor, however, used the combined Swords of Darkness and Deception to become far more than alive. In this new, scare-glow form, Skeletor was defeated at last by the combined power of the Swords of Power and Protection.

The Zodak then returned to learn of the results of their experiment. Adam forced them to see the true natures of good and evil by peering into the Great Swords. The Zodak learned the error of their ways and swore to never return to Eternia or Etheria.

A new era of peace began that day. Adam married his best friend Teela and became king. Adora married her old flame Sea Hawk and became Queen of Etheria.

Five years later, shortly after the birth of Adam and Teela's son Joshua, the notorious Count Marzo returned. He was after an artifact called the Gardener's Stone - part of set of powerful stones forged long, long ago. Adam defeated Marzo by using another one of the stones - the Phoenix Stone.

Some fives years following and slightly over ten years after Skeletor was defeated, Adam, Adora, Sea Hawk, and Teela gathered in the royal courtyard once more - to celebrate life and family. And being the masters of their own destiny.

Life goes on . . .


	3. Valuable Resource Information

Valuable Resource Information

This story takes place fifteen years after the ending of "Masters of the Universe: The Final Adventure. Twenty years after "Masters of the Universe: The Return of the Count" and twenty-five years after the defeat of Skeletor featured in "Masters of the Universe: The Final Adventure."

The Snake Pit - A gigantic snake-shaped bowl, set aflame by an unquenchable fire. Once the location of Snake Mountain until its destruction.

Grayskull Tower - A forbidden tower at the former site of Castle Grayskull.

The Hidden Realm - A realm accessible by Etheria and Eternia. Home to the kings of old, who have handed their kingdoms the next generation of rulers.


	4. A New Beginning

CHAPTER ONE

"A New Beginning"

Closer to the center of the universe than anticipated; settled on a spiral arm of an unnamed galaxy; held in a comfortable orbit by a quite average star; beneath three moons that spin ever-so-precisely in orbit; and kept in constant check by the forces of the universe - is the planet known as Eternia.

Sweeping across a hemisphere of darkness; holding course over a number of incredible desserts; swaying above mountains of both ice and mysticism; flying through two rich forests; shooting across an ocean teeming with life; and coming into a light hemisphere and a fertile continent - is the kingdom known as Eternos.

Through cities and towns and villages of the ever-strong kingdom, there is a place called the City of Wisdom. A portion of a capital city devoted sheerly to education.

And for Emily, daughter of King Adam and Queen Teela, it was just another place to try and fit into.

That, and she's just happy to be done with her week here. Not that she liked to complain, but well, Emily had just had a rough week. Her first week back to school after a summer of tromping through the Mystic Mountains with her family and already she was having trouble finding her place.

Emily pulled her curly, black hair back into a ponytail as the final bell was rung from the bell tower. Most of the students were stopping by their dorms before heading off to their homes in regular villages and cities in the Eternos Kingdom.

What was Emily going to do? She was going the Palace to dress frilly with her family and try to pretend to care.

Sighing, Emily entered her small room in one of the Girl's Dorms. As she started gathering things up, a picture on the top of the small fireplace caught her eye. It was from last year. A family portrait. There she was, standing front and center while the rest of her family stood around her with fake smiles. Not as fakes as hers, though.

There was Addison. Her older half-brother. Captain of the Royal Guard. She always felt that the two of them were two of a kind. While everyone - EVERYONE - loved Addison, it was established quite early that since he is only the adopted son of Adam, Addison could not get the throne. In a way that he never admitted, that made him a sort of outcast among the royal family. Not that anyone loved him any less, but there was no way that he could get the royal throne.

Now, her older sister Amelia, well . . . she was next in line for succession. In Emily's eyes, it didn't matter that she was the firstborn of Adam and Teela - she could get the throne by just being just who she is. Perfect. And damn proud of it. Not that Emily didn't like her sister, but she came off as more snobby than friendly. Amelia knew everything and anything. And more and more often it seemed that she was constantly correcting Emily.

Then there was Joshua. Emily's older brother by about five years. He was big, strong and had his mind in the clouds all of the time. He loved to goof off with his friends and play all sorts of full-contact sports. Totally Emily's opposite.

Emily locked her door as her mind drifted to her parents. There wasn't much to say about her Mother - Queen Teela. She used to be a warrior and had a very large number of accomplishments and adventures that she would constant talk to Emily about. Sometimes she felt like her Mom was pushing into becoming just like her. Emily didn't like that at all.

Then . . . there was Dad. Emily sighed and brushed a stray hair away as her father entered her mind. King Adam was the most important man in all of Eternian history. And Emily was blessed - or cursed - with being his youngest daughter. That was the bane of her existence.

She was new here to this school and every single day someone came up to her ask about it. About He-Man and She-Ra. About being the Princess of Eternia. And Emily had just about had it - she came here to get away from all of that.

But, she supposed, at least things were calming down. No one had said anything to her about it yet today, so she was hoping that after the weekend, everybody would be ready to realize that she didn't care about her royalty or anything relating to her parents old teenage and tween years.

Of course, that little precious dream of hers was shattered as soon as a scrawny boy a few feet away grabbed his friends arm and pointed to her.

"Look! It's her!"

"Oh no . . ." groaned Emily.

"Yeah! Ask her!"

"No way man. You ask her!"

Emily rolled her eyes, the two boys obviously not realizing she could hear their every word. "But, man, you're the one that said that - "

"WHAT?!" Emily yelled, spinning to face the pair. "What do you want?!"

The two boys were a bit startled by this, but quickly recovered. "Are you really the Princess?"

"Yes," she replied with a deep, grunting voice. "Why?"

"Have you ever seen you Dad, like, turn into He-Man and kick someone's ass?"

Emily, frustrated with this, threw up her arms in sheer anger. "Oh, for the love of - my Dad hasn't done that in twenty-five years! If you had half a brain, you'd freakin' know that!"

"But, you know, he still has the sword right? He still goes around and turns into He-Man and kicks peoples asses, right?"

"Just shut up! My Dad doesn't do that anymore, you dumb-asses! Listen! I don't care about He-Man or being part of the royal family, all right? I don't care! I haven't cared ever! And don't even bother talking to me about it, because I'm not here to flaunt it around!"

Just then, there was a strangely familiar sound coming from above. Emily looked up and then immediately smacked her hand to her forehead. "Oh no," she moaned, "oh no oh no oh no."

"Hey look! It's a talon-fighter!"

The bird-like, golden airship landed right in front of Emily. A crowd began to form as a figure stood from its front seat.

"Hear ye! Hear ye!" shouted the figure. "I am Prince Joshua, son of King Adam and Queen Teela!" he shouted, waving his hands around in an over-dramatic manner. Emily shut her eyes, trying to block out the embarrassment she was feeling by her brothers showing off.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up . . ." she muttered, stepping towards the talon fighter.

"I am here for my sister, the lovely Princess Emily! She is needed back at the Palace for the greatly important negotiations between the people of Eternos and . . ." He paused for dramatic reasons. ". . .the Bear-People! Come, Emily, daughter of King Adam, and journey home with me for the weekend!"

"I hate this family," Emily whimpered, her face beet red.

Finally, Joshua turned to his sister. "Oh, and you brought your dirty underwear, right?"

"SHUT UP, JOSH!" she yelled at her brother, hopping in behind him. She smacked him on the back of the head.

"HA HA! Farewell and good journey, fine citizens!"

With that, the talon-fighter off into the clear, blue sky. "Don't ever - EVER - do that again!" Emily chided.

"Oh, come on, Em. I was just teasin' ya."

"No. You embarrassed me."

"Oh shush, little sis," Joshua replied. "You know, I don't even understand why you're going there. The best teachers and wise men on the planet taught all the rest of us at the Palace. Why you're going to school there is something I'll never understand."

"Because I'm tired of being pampered back at the Palace. Doesn't anyone realize that I'm not getting the throne and therefore don't care about any of this crap."

"It's not crap, Emily," Joshua returned. "It's traditional stuff. By the Sorceress, can't you get that through your head."

"First of all, Joshua, don't say 'By the Sorceress.' She's our friggin' grandma, not a religious symbol. Second, this isn't about traditions. It's about change. Zodak and Skeletor and all else are gone. But as far as anyone is concerned, we're still back there. Things need to change. And they're not. Because of that, I'm choosing not to become part of this."

Joshua shook his head in aggravation as he put the talon-fighter down on one of the landing pads. "That's crazy. We're royalty, Emily . . ."

"No, Josh, we're people. We should live like them. Anyways, what does it matter? It's not like I'm going to be getting anything. The throne will never belong to me."

To that, Joshua had no answer.

***

"King Jade, I understand that you want peace and isolation, but I can't help but fear for your safety," Adam pleaded with the large Bear next to him. "Yours and your people. By joining with us, Eternos can guarantee the sovereignty of your land and the protection of your boarders."

"No, King Adam," replied Jade. "You seem, my people are a peaceful sort. While we consider ourselves allies of your kingdom, we will wage war with enemies. Peace is the best way, King. Our bargaining chip is the Lambite we mine."

King Adam sighed and nodded slowly. "Well, I had to try, huh? I hope you're still on for the dinner tonight?"

"Of course, King Adam. I will journey home in the morning."

"Good, good," Adam replied. "Maybe I can still try to - "

Just then, a thunderous noise and a puff of smoke erupted from Ram-Man-At-Arms laboratory. King Jade looked highly concerned and turned to King Adam, who was releasing a sigh of relief. The Bear was a bit surprised by this reaction.

"Does that happen often?"

"Just about."

***

Addison charged down the corridor and quickly entered into the lab, his eyes searching amongst the smoke for the two figures. "Hello?!" he shouted over the roar of a mechanical engine.

"We're fine!" came a reassuring male voice. A figure appeared from the smoke, a monkey wrench in hand. He was tall and thin, wearing a slightly slimmed down version of the old Man-At-Arms armor.

"Machinesmith? What was that?"

"That was RMAA and my attempted improvement on the old Attack Track," the figure, Machinesmith, replied.

"Again?"

"Hey, we had to try," said Ram-Man-At-Arms, who appeared then. "I thought we could try and add some hydraulics to it. See if it could launch itself if it needed."

Addison squinted at the pair. "Why?" 

Machinesmith shrugged and then looked at Ram-Man-At-Arms. "I dunno. Because."

"Is everything alright in here?" said Amelia, who entered then. She was wearing a long skirt with her shoulder-length blond hair coming across her shoulders.

"We're fine."

"Good. Then keep it down, alright? King Jade is here and I don't want you guys freaking him out. These talks are very important to my father."

Amelia eyed the trio and made a few mental notes. Machinesmith seemed to be looking irritated with her. Every other time something exploded in here, she never came down to check on things. The only reason she was down here now was because they were annoying her.

She couldn't understand how chaos could erupt so easily with Machinesmith there. He was a mechanical genius, as well as a brillant scientific mind. Graduated top of his class back at the City of Wisdom. So why did all Hell break lose every time he and RMAA get together and try to build something - which was every single day?

Adding a "just don't do it again," Amelia walked off to meet with her father and King Jade. Hopefully, her father would explain things to King Jade. Not that this was a MAJOR treaty, but it was important to King Adam, so that was good enough for her.

As Amelia walked off, a young woman jogged past here and into the laboratory. "Ram-Man-At-Arms? Your four o'clocks are here."

"Huh? Oh! Er, um, send right in."

Machinesmith looked over to RMAA. "Four o'clocks?"

"Two new members of the Defenders, Machinesmith," Addison replied. "We wanted to talk to them briefly now that all the interviews are over with."

Just then, two figures walked in. One was a gentleman in his mid-twenties with long black hair, and flowing brown robes. In his hand was a thick, bound notebook with a pen attracted to it.

"Greetings," he said, bowing softly. "You must be Ram-Man-At-Arms and Captain Addison. I am the Poet."

"Good to meet you."

"Likewise."

The other figure, a gentleman looking in his late fifties, walked forward. "My name in Horn," said this man.

"Nice to meet you, Horn," Machinesmith said proudly. "You too, Poet. What to you folks do?"

Horn smiled at the youngster. "As I already displayed your associates earlier this month, I can detect sonic waves and manipulate them using my horn." He produced a white, wooden horn. "I can even mimic noises. For example, the sound of your explosion."

"Oh no!" stopped Addison, fearing another visit from his sister. "He can find out later."

"Right, gotcha," replied the older man.

"What about you, Poet?" asked Machinesmith.

"His power is so cool!" Ram-Man-At-Arms exclaimed.

"I can create things from words," Poet said.

"What do you mean?"

Poet opened up his book and wrote the word 'gun.' An instant later, the three letters appeared in front of them, glowing. These letters then formed into a gun. The Poet held it, then with a bit of concentration, made the gun disappear into the letters, which vanished immediately.

"Wow!" Horn yelled. "That's great, son."

"Thank you, sir."

Addison smiled at the pair. "You'll both make an excellent addition to the Defenders. We'll alert you when we have our first training."

The two departed, leaving the trio behind.

"Well, this should be fun," Machinesmith said with a grin.

"It always is," Addison replied.

***

Meanwhile, at the edge of the Light Hemisphere, at a tavern known as the 'Last Outpost' - a hooded figure sits patiently in the shadowed corner.

After a few minutes, a fairly large man entered into the tavern and spots the figure. He walked over, sitting across from him.

"Where is it?" demanded the figure.

"The Valley of the Lost. On Etheria. Underground."

The figure paused, eyes flowing across the fat man. The man began to feel uncomfortable under his guise. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow, and he attempted to wipe them away. A minute went by and the fat man was just waiting for an answer. If only he could see past the shadow of the hood - if he could see the facial expression . . .

"How did it end up there?"

"Something about Hordak trying to take control of it. Teleporting it to Etheria from its prison on Eternia. But He-Man and She-Ra sent it into the depths of The Valley of the Lost. Sealing it away."

"It was untouched by Hordak's oil?"

"Um . . . uh, no."

Once more, the hooded man didn't answer. He stood up and began to walk out of the shadows of the corner.

"What . . . why did you want to know?" asked the fat man.

"No reason. Just curious where they stashed the Energy Beast."

***

As the sun began to sink, two figures appeared upon the horizon. They streaked in towards Eternos from the north, and landed perfectly on their feet right in the center of the Palace Courtyard. Stratos felt quite a bit older as he gazed upon the growth around him.

Some of these trees were being planted when he first joined with a young King Randor. A generation later, and they were larger than he would have expected.

"Father," came the voice of his son, Talon. He was tall and much thinner than most Avions. But he made up for that in his passion for his people. "Father, why have we come here?"

"King Adam asked us to help represent Avion at this dinner. Just as King Jade is representing the Bear-people."

"I know that, father. But I'm just . . ."

"Son, I know how you feel about this."

"Do you? For generations, we've been at Eternos' beck and call. I just feel as though Avion needs to be a little more independent."

Stratos smiled and patted his twenty-two year-old sons shoulder. "You have much to learn."

Talon sighed, but didn't answer.

"Stratos! Over here!" came a call to Talon's father.

Stratos spun around and found himself facing Buzz-Off and his daughter, Stinger. "Buzz-Off! Old friend, how are you?"

"I am well," Buzz-Off returned, shaking Stratos hand. "You remember Stinger, don't you?"

"Yes," Stratos returned. "But it has been a while."

"It has, sir," Stinger said politely.

"Not since you were a larva, I believe," Stratos told her with a witty grin.

She giggled a bit. "Probably not as long as that, sir."

Stratos still smiled at the girl before introducing his son. "This is Talon. Do you remember him?"

"Yes," Buzz-Off said. "Good to see you again."

"Same here, sir," Talon replied, though a little fake. "Stinger."

"Hello Talon. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

There was a slight, awkward silence before Stratos clapped his hands and motioned for the entrance. "Well, let's head on in, shall we?"

***

Emily emerged from her room and spotted the rest of her siblings at the bottom of the stairs. She had put on a gray skirt and black top, with a bit of make-up. As soon as she saw her sister, though, Emily felt like she had just made yet another mistake already.

Amelia was done up in royal garb, making Emily look like it was just another day at school. "That's what you're wearing?" asked Amelia.

"Yeah. Daddy said this wasn't going to be a formal occasion."

"It's not. It's just . . ."

"What?"

"It's . . . well . . . you look nice."

Emily sighed heavily. "I'll go change."

"No, no," Amelia countered. "You look nice."

"I swear, Amelia, you really piss me off," Emily started.

"Hey, easy now," Addison broke in. "This isn't a big deal, alright? Who cares who wears what!?"

"Yeah!" Joshua threw in. "Look at Stratos in there! All he's wearing a pair of suspenders and shorts."

Addison smacked Joshua's arm. "Shut up."

"Hey! Don't you tell me to shut up!" Joshua threatened.

"Joshua, just . . . just stay out of it!"

"See what you made them do, Emily?"

"Me? This is all your fault!"

"Why don't you all just shut up!"

"You first, 'captain!'"

"Oh, that's real mature, 'Miss. Perfect!'"

"I am so sick and tired of this family!"

"There's a shocker!"

"Leave her alone, Amelia!"

"Hey, you leave her alone, Addison!"

"Stay outta this, Joshua. You keep getting into everybody's business!"

"Me?! Why I outta . . . !"

"Oh, knock it off!"

"You knock it off!"

"**_CHILDREN._**" A stern voice from the stairs cut them all off. King Adam stood there, looking over his offspring. "This stops now. You have problems, deal with them after the dinner. Until then, you all get along. Understood?"

No answer.

"I asked a question. I expect an answer."

"Yes sir."

"Sorry Dad."

"Yeah, sorry Dad."

"Yeah."

Adam nodded. "Good. Now go along ahead while I wait for your mother."

The four of them grudgely walked down the corridor and into the formal dinning room. Adam sighed and closed his eyes, his fingers immediately rubbing his forehead.

"Problems?" asked Teela stepping down the stairs.

Adam looked up and mustered a grin at his lovely, beautiful wife. "Just the usual, dear."

"Well, I'm sure they'll forget about them when the dinners over."

"I hope so," Adam told her, taking her hand and stepping towards the room.

Teela squeezed his hand. "There is always room for hope."

Adam just smiled at her.


	5. The Return of the Energy Beast

CHAPTER TWO

"The Return of the Energy Beast"

Atop a cliff, high above the Valley of the Lost, on the planet of Etheria - stood a figure, wrapped in a dark cloth robe. His hands raised, his voice called out. He's chanting, the words echoing down and down . . . into the Valley of the Lost . . . down towards it bottom . . . and towards cracks along the ground.

Deeper still, into those cracks . . . deeper and deeper . . .

Until reaching their goal.

The Energy Beast had been the ruler of Eternia in the days before the Elders and long before the Zodak ever arrived on that world. But he was defeated and imprisoned by Elders, locked away for over a millenia. 

Until he was released upon the world once again and fought for its domination.

But his new campaign ended horribly when He-Man, champion of Eternia, stopped him once more. Some years later, though, the Energy Beast was set free by the conqueror of Eternia's sister world - Etheria. Hordak wanted to unleash the Energy Beast upon She-Ra, He-Man's sister.

But the Energy Beast had turned on Hordak. Once more, though, He-Man defeated the Energy Beast and it was here that he was buried. Locked away.

Unit now.

A chant from above breaks the seals. The chains that were to hold him forever snap and break. The locks that kept him in place shatter. The rock and dirt that kept him buried erupts.

In short: the Energy Beast is free!

***

Queen Adora sat bored as the woman named Peacekeeper read the report back from Eternia. As her official ambassador to Eternia, Peacekeeper kept Adora informed of all the developments back on her homeworld. But that didn't mean it all had to be interesting.

"Milady?" asked Peacekeeper, looking up from her log. "Am I boring you?"

"Hm? Oh no. Please . . . go on," replied Adora.

"My Queen, I'm a telepath. There's no need to deceive me. Trust me, I'm well aware that this information about the agricultural report from the northern regions of the Fertile Plains is not the greatest epic."

"Then let's skip it, hm? What about the treaty? Did the Bear-People sign with King Adam?"

"No," Peacekeeper replied. "I'm afraid not."

Just as Adora was about to reply, her son ran in. Cassidy looked out-of-breath and very frightened. "Mother!" he shouted.

"What is it?"

"The Energy Beast! It's been freed!"

Suddenly, a flash of light filled the room. Bolts of electricity surged throughout the throne room, shooting every which way. Finally, it all gathered together and took the form of the Energy Beast. He was weakened from his long imprisonment.

"EEEEETTTTTERRRRRNIAAAAAA!" he moaned. It could sense the dimensional gateway nearby.

The Energy Beast thundered away, straight towards the gateway room. Adora turned to Peacekeeper.

"Stay here, Cassidy!" yelled Adora as she and Peacekeeper rushed after it.

The Fifteen-year-old did exactly as he was told.

The pair headed after the Energy Beast as it smashed its way into the gateway room. The gateway room was a chamber that maintained two constant gateways to the Hidden Realm and Eternia. The latter is where the Energy Beast was going.

Just as he began to enter the gateway, Adora ran to the controls and began to scramble the teleportation codes.

"What are you doing?!" demanded Peacekeeper. "He'll still make it there!"

"Not in one piece, he won't!" Adora returned sharply. "That way my brother will be able to deal with him easier!"

The Energy Beast roared as the gateway became scrambled. But he still made it to the other side . . .

***

Gwildor, keeper of the keys between Eternia, Etheria, and the Hidden Realm, sat in the gateway room in the Palace of Eternia and immediately didn't like the looks of the energy readings that were coming in.

"Adam!" he shouted into his comm-link. "We might have a problem!"

Suddenly, the gateway shimmered and the Energy Beast ripped through it. His own body was in a state of flux, power beams drifting off of it and striking all around the room.

"NNNNNNEEEEDDDDD POOOOOWWWWWEEERRR!"

Adam entered then, with at least a dozen armed guards. Beams of energy laced through two of the guards, leaving them dead on the ground. Adam immediately ordered them to pull back.

"Evacuate the area!" he shouted.

"PPOWWWWWEEEER! NNNNOOOOOORRRRRRTTTTTHHHH!"

The Energy Beast began to swirl into itself, becoming a sphere of pure power. Then, with incredible speed, it shot towards the North.

"Machinesmith!" Adam yelled into his comm-link. "Get a lock on that energy signature that just left here!"

"_Yes sire._"

"Ram-Man-At-Arms!"

"_Yeah?_"

"Assemble the Defenders, Rammy. The Energy Beast just returned."

***

In the great halls of Avion, a protest was given before Stratos. By his own son, Talon. "Father, I can not understand why are we doing this!"

"The Energy Beast is a threat to all of Eternia. Eternos and Avion must stand together."

"Surely Eternos can handle it on their own."

"Perhaps," Stratos began, "but it is best for our three peoples to stand united against this threat."

"Our people will die in this battle."

"Less so if we are together."

"Eternos can handle this on their own. I . . . I refuse to join with you in this battle."

Stratos looked at his son carefully. "I'm not going, Talon."

Talon was stunned. "What? Father, I . . . I . . ."

The elder Avion king stepped down from his throne and walked down next to his son. He put his hand on his shoulder. "Walk with me, Talon. There is much we must discuss."

"Yes, Father."

Stratos didn't speak for a long moment. Talon felt a bit uncomfortable but adapted to his fathers behavior rather quickly. They soon found themselves at a balcony overlooking the rest of the lofty city of Avion.

It was then that Stratos spoke. "I'm old, Talon."

"Father . . ."

He raised his hand. "Listen to me, my son. I am old. I have seen far too many wars. Too many battles. Always, have I been willing to protect our people."

"I know that, Father."

"And if that means siding with Eternos, then I will side with Eternos. If I must serve with the Defenders, then I will. All for the safety and protection of Avion. We can not be isolated. We can not be neutral. If we are to be strong, our forces must side with Eternos. YOU must side with Eternos."

Talon sighed and looked at his father, as if to say something. But there was something about Stratos that caught him differently though. Stratos looked older, white tuffs of his fur apparent as the wind swept over them. His wings were looking grayer and grayer, the crimson washing out with age.

But despite this, there was something else about him. He was looking stronger. Wiser. Valiant. And more than that . . . dedicated. He had seen this in his father before, but never this intense. Never this . . . strong-willed.

"I will go. I will fight for Avion."

"That . . . that is all I ask."

***

Exo - Philip, son of Mekaneck - pressed a button on his armor, creating an energy weave around him. It mimicked and mocked his every movement, making him more than ready to fight. His eyes moved towards Snowball, who was busy producing a dozen icicles

The brown-haired young man launched his sharp, ice weapons at Exo. He smiled, but wasn't surprised as Exo's energy-based exo-skeleton blocked and shattered them.

"Watch your back," said Ram-Man-At-Arms from the side, watching this training session.

It was then that a tall and lanky female Cat named Tail leapt in, kicking Snowball in the back of his blue and white jumpsuit.

"No fair, Tail!"

"All's fair in love and war, honey," she said, spinning around, her foot coming up for a kick in the face.

But before the feline female could reach him, his burst of cold air wrapped around it. She protested with a whine, but Snowball just smiled.

Until Exo picked him up and tossed him to the ground. Then, Exo's foot landed on his back, holding him there.

"Back-up!" shouted Snowball. "I could use some back-up here!"

A thunderous noise erupted from behind. Tail screeched and ran off as Horn came into sight. Poet was right behind him, facing Exo.

Swiftly, he wrote up the word 'PUSH' and the letters formed above the page. 'PUSH' then shot forward, smacking against Exo so hard, it set him flying off of Snowball.

Ram-Man-At-Arms chuckled and grinned. "Alright, that's enough. Everybody just be ready for da big fight, huh?"

Ram-Man-At-Arms was already late as he walked hurriedly towards the Palace Situation Room. But he wanted to make sure that these new kids were ready for this fight.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized as he was stepping.

"Don't worry about it, Rammy," King Adam reassured him. 

Ram-Man-At-Arms nodded, then looked around the room. He was happy to see that both Duncan and Teelana were there, helping out on the situation. Addison was there as well, serving as Captain of the Royal Guard. Stinger and Talon were there too, acknowledging the support of the Avions and the Insectiods. Peacekeeper was there, also, serving as the ambassador from Etheria and their representative

Machinesmith, Teela, and Adam rounded out the group. 

"So, what's the situation?" asked Adam.

"The Energy Beast is at the North Pole, feeding off magnetic energy flows," Machinesmith explained. "I'd say thirty-six hours and he'll strike at Eternos."

"Why Eternos?" asked Addison.

"Because Eternos serves as the current heart of the politic scene. Eternos is the link between all major powers on Eternia. It is the Energy Beast's nature to come here," Teelana answered. Talon had to suppress a sneer.

"We can't launch an offensive," Duncan snorted. "He's too powerful up there. The Energy Beast can replenish his lost energy as soon as he losses it."

"Then what can we do?" asked Stinger, hopeful for a solution.

"We wait," Adam told her, "and prepare."

"With the kind of power the Energy Beast will be packing, there's no guarantee we'll be able to hold off his attack," Machinesmith brought up. "Any sort of energy we fire into that thing will be absorbed immediately."

"And what if we're wrong?" Talon argued. "What if they attack the Insectoids or the Avions?"

"Stratos and Buzz-Off will be there," Duncan countered. "And if that turns out to be true, we'll launch reinforcements immediately."

"It just bothers me," Ram-Man-At-Arms stepped in.

"What's that?" asked Teela.

"I just wish there was a way to defeat this guy. Our energy weapons will just be absorbed into it and all other weapons won't even hurt it."

"There may just be," Teelana tossed in, then.

"How do you mean?"

"It's a . . . rather complicated matter. One I must speak to Adam about first before addressing all of you regarding."

Adam nodded at his mother-in-law and former Sorceress; then took note of Talon's disgust at this development.

"Addison," Adam started, "I want you to start preparing our royal guards and soldiers. Conventional weapons such as knifes, blades, and crossbows are to be priority. Energy weapons secondary.

"Ram-Man-At-Arms," he continued, looking towards RMAA, "have the Defenders and Heroic Warriors all set for the fight. See if you can call in some reserves too. Then, I want you to help out Machinesmith to find a way to defeat the Energy Beast."

"What about us?" asked Stinger, motioning to herself and Talon.

"If you would, I would appreciate you training with the others, preparing for battle," Adam told them. "All of Eternia is at risk. Our peoples must stand united in this."

Talon grumbled to himself as the meeting was dismissed.

As the last of the group made their way out, Adam was face-to-face with Teelana. He was finally getting used to calling her that.

"I have to thank you and Duncan for helping us out here. I suppose no one really retires here on Eternia."

She smiled, having aged gracefully in her seventies. "Adam, I will always be there with you and Teela."

"I know, Teelana," he answered, feeling just as amazed by her presence as he had all those years ago when they first met. "What was it you had in mind?"

"Past the edges of the Sands of Fire, there is a mountain called Shadow. Deep in the heart of Shadow is a man named Loxx. He has helped the royal family out of my crises in the past five hundred years. King Vulnar the Bold summoned his power when he faced with the Sea People's monster. I have hopes that he will help you."

"How should I do this?"

"You must take the children and Teela. You will all be judged when you reach there."

"Judged? How so?"

"If your causes are noble, you will be given the power. If they are not, then you will be turned down."

Adam nodded. "Well, then, I suppose I best be getting a move on, huh?"


	6. The Judgement of Loxx

CHAPTER THREE

"The Judgement of Loxx"

"This is so stupid," muttered Emily as she joined her brothers, sister, and parents in the Battle Jeep. It was long and wide, but was faster than any Road Ripper. It would get them to Shadow by dusk, where they would be able to get ahold of Loxx and the power to defeat the Energy Beast.

"It's something we just have to do, Emily," Adam told her.

"Besides, the City of Wisdom is closed any ways," Teela followed up, helping him adjust the controls.

"Yeah, so you can't hang out with any of your weird friends," Joshua whispered to her.

"No, but that's because I have no friends," Emily replied harshly, but seemed almost proud of the fact.

"Leave her alone, Josh," Addison scolded.

Adam sighed deeply and he had the strange feeling that no one was going to be leaving this vehicle alive. "Let's just sit tight. This was the only thing that take us all fast enough."

"And I just want you kids to behave, alright? We have enough problems to deal with," Teela chided.

It was then that Adam smiled, realizing where the kids got most of their spitfire from. Their mother. "Alrighty. We've got a quest to fulfill."

In a way, Adam felt good about all of this. It wasn't everyday he had the chance to chuck everyone in his family into the Battle Jeep and headed off for certain danger. It made him think back to the days when he would hop onto Battle Cat and head off into parts unknown for the key to stopping Skeletor.

He missed those days for some reason. Despite how hard it could be or how dangerous, there was a certain thing about being there. Doing something for the good of Eternia - sans the politics or the fact that there was Zodac in background.

Things felt right back then and Adam strangely wished things were as easy as good versus evil once more. They were being manipulated, of course, by Zodac's 'master plan,' but it still felt good. Felt right.

But so much had happened since then. Adam was king now, with children of his own. So was his sister. Adora was mother as well . . . but ever since she lost Sea Hawk . . .

He suddenly shut out those thoughts. He was with her when the news of Sea Hawk's death broke. Adam didn't care relive the moment he saw his sister at her weakest.

Yet it was moments like that that remained with Adam, just as the 'good ole days' did. Moments that caused him to grow - to learn and evolve into the man he is today.

And that was a pleasing thought.

***

"Glad you could come on out, Dad," Exo said, as he and Mekaneck stood upon a frozen cliff, watching as energy shimmered and shuddered north of their position.

"Not a problem, son," Mekaneck replied, his neck pulling back. "Looks pretty bad up there. The Energy Beast is using the electro-magnetic spectrum as a supplier of power. No harm done to the planet, but it won't be any good for us when he heads to Eternos."

"I agree," said Stinger, landing behind the pair. "I've contacted Eternos with our results. We should head back."

"Too cold up here?" asked Exo with a grin.

"Yes. Makes me miss the Hive. Nice and toasty all year round."

Mekaneck smiled. "No wonder your father only showed up when we REALLY, REALLY needed him."

Stinger smiled. "Come on, let's head back."

Just as they started towards the south, there was a strange howl on the wind. Mekaneck looked east and extended his head to listen for it. A second howl echoed - this one louder and far closer. Mekaneck saw its origin and shot his head back down.

"What was that?" asked Stinger, majorly concerned.

"It's a modern-day myth, of sorts," Mekaneck began, noting that the howl was now growing farther and farther east.

"How so?"

"Well, in the past twenty-five years, there have been these strange reports of glowing riders. They started in the Dark Hemisphere, but have grown more and more scattered. They're called Scare-Glows."

"Scare-Glows? Never heard of them," said Exo.

"Rumor has it that they're the ghost of Skeletor - that he was so powerful in the end that he came back as ten ghosts instead of just one."

"And that's what you think you saw?"

"Maybe," Mekaneck said. "Though they're rarely been seen during the day. There's also the possibility that these Scare-Glows are just a bunch of old warriors that believe that Skeletor is still alive. That the theory I prefer to the believe."

"Well, what exactly did you see, Dad?"

"A few riders charging east, that's all."

"Hmmm," Stinger hummed thoughtfully. "Coincidence?"

"We'll see. Come on. Let's get back to Eternos."

But as Mekaneck and Exo hopped onto the Talon Fighter and took to the skies with Stinger, he couldn't help but look back . . . and wonder . . .

***

Eight hours, four potty breaks, nine arguments and seventeen minutes later, they arrived at Shadow Mountain. The Battle Jeep lurched up the rocks and started up the mountain, until they reached a point where it was too steep for the poor vehicle to climb. Of course, that was when they spotted a strange set of busted up stairs.

"All set, gang?" asked Adam with a smile.

Not even Teela looked remotely happy about this.

"Right-o. Let's go."

***

Duncan couldn't help but admire someone like Peacekeeper. She had been born mere minutes after Hordak covered Etheria with his black oil. Freed by Light-Hope four years later, she hadn't aged a day - much like everyone else on Etheria.

But there was more to this woman than just that. She was very telepathic and worked for years to become a psychologist. Considering all she had done at the Light-Zone . . . with her help, Trap-Jaw and Tri-Klops were freed of the demons that had haunted them all throughout their lives. They were free men, both serving as smile traders and farmers in the country.

When she had signed on as Adora's personal contact with Eternia last year, everyone was bit shocked. Considering she was barely twenty-five and already had so many accomplishments under her belt. She had a thirst for knowledge that . . . that was unlike anything else Duncan had ever seen.

But now it was her sheer bravery that caught his eye this time. She had just insisted to Adora that she remain on Eternia and help out against the Energy Beast.

Surely, this woman was much more than met the eye.

"Hey Duncan!" came the shout of the Trollian named Nell. Duncan liked Nell. He was a much younger cousin of Orko's who came to serve as Court Jester after Orko married Dree Ell and moved to Trolla. He was a bit more confident in his skills, and less clumsy than his cousin was. But that didn't cover for his over-excitement for such small things.

"Yes, Nell? What can I do for you?"

"I'm just a little worried about this war! I mean, I don't want to be the end of us, and I'm sure it won't, but I'm still just a little worried and I can't help but be because I don't like war and it's no fun and - "

"Nell," said Peacekeeper, stepping over. "Calm down. We'll be okay. Right now, I think we'll need you to make sure that all of the civilians are safely behind the outer wall and are in the secure areas. Can you do that?"

Nell seemed happy with this assignment and tipped his hand. "Why certainly!"

"Thanks for the save," Duncan told her.

"Not a problem. Any word from Adam?"

"Not yet," Duncan replied. "But our scout team just reported back. The Energy Beast is making progress. If you'll excuse me, I would like to check-up on Ram-Man-At-Arms and Machinesmith. I'm curious if they've come up with anything yet."

"I certainly hope so," Peacekeeper added as he walked off. "See you later."

Duncan walked down the corridor, still depending far too much on his cane. His leg never did completely heal from the abuse it had taken at the Fright Zone all those years ago. But he tried to ignore and kept on towards the lab.

"Anything yet?" he asked as entered.

There was small explosion from whatever Machinesmith was working on. He looked up sadly. "Nope. I'm starting to think we're just going to have to dissipate the energy."

"That's gonna be harder than you think, Machinesmith."

"It's all I can see doing at this point, sir," Machinesmith said with a frown. "But I'll keep working on it."

Duncan gave him a reassuring smile. "I know you will, son."

***

During the entire way up those long, unsteady, cracked stairs, Emily could have sworn she felt like they were being watched. Her eyes kept registering movement in their corners.

"Did you guys see that?" she asked.

"See what?" asked Amelia.

"There was something moving. I know it."

"I didn't see anything."

Emily sighed and shrugged. Maybe she was just getting tired. And cranky. She muttered a curse to herself, then kept moving . . . only to bump into Amelia, who had bumped into Joshua, who had bumped into Addison, who had bumped into Teela - who had stopped abruptly behind Adam.

They all stood at the edge of a cave entrance. Adam nodded and grinned. "This is it. Home of Loxx. Our only hope in defeating the Energy Beast and stopping him once more in his - "

"Let's save the dramatics, eh hon?" said Teela, putting her hand onto his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah. Let's head on in, then."

And so they did, guided by their lanterns and torches through the darkness. They had were walking for a while when Adam felt something brush up against him. He spun around, eyes darting to find what it was.

"What is it?"

"Something brushed up against me. It . . . it must have been a bat or something."

Still, though, Adam felt a tingle of dread in the back his mind. After a few more minutes of walking, the whole royal family found themselves in a large room.

They were standing on a balcony, a gigantic chasm beneath them. The entire chamber was large and wide - quite intimidating to all but Adam. He had seen much larger in his journey underground.

There was a sudden rumble, then a burst of green smoke and lighting. Then, in a flash, a gigantic creature filled up the chamber. He was obviously quite large, his hands like claws and his face demeaning and authoritative.

"You have arrived at last, King Adam," Loxx announced. "I expect you would like to share my power to defeat the Energy Beast."

Adam drew a breath and nodded. "Yes. I believe our intentions are noble. We seek to destroy the Energy Beast for the sake of all those on Eternia."

"Indeed," Loxx said to them, "your intentions and causes our quite noble. But have you forgotten that you must be judged?!"

"No, I have not, I - "

"JUDGEMENT!" shouted Loxx, his claw-like finger pointing straight Adam. "You are of hybrid blood!"

"What . . . ?"

"You are tainted! You are unworthy of the power of Loxx!"

"Because of my blood?"

"Your blood is that of a alien! You're half-breed! You should not even have control of the throne, let alone my power!"

"Now, just wait one second . . ." started Amelia, feeling insulted.

"JUDGEMENT!" Loxx shouted now, his fingers outstretched and pointed towards Amelia, Joshua, and Emily. "None of you are worthy! Your blood is a bastard blood! Alien! The actions of Marlena from Earth have damned you and your world - " 

"HOW DARE YOU?!" yelled Adam. "How dare you place that kind of judgement on us! It is not our fault my father - "

"Your father was honorable until he made love with your mother, King Adam. He condemned his branch on the royal family for that!" The finger then went to Teela. "JUDGEMENT!"

"Give me your worst . . ." Teela began.

"You were supposed to have an honorable position safe-guarding Castle Grayskull! But instead you have given that up for the half-breed and your son! Who, I might add, may have gained the power were he of royal blood! If only you had love-making with one of the royal cousins!"

Teela about ripped his face off. "WHY YOU NO-GOOD, CONDESCENDING, LITTLE NOTHING!"

Adam held Teela back "HEY! HEY! Calm down, honey, calm down. Let's just get out of here. We don't need Loxx or his power."

"Yeah," Joshua threw in, following the rest of his family as they started back into the tunnel.

After a moment of silence, a figure appeared from the tunnel entrance. He was wrapped in a dark robe, his face shadowed in his hood.

"Who are you?" asked Loxx. "You followed them."

"Yes. Yes I did. And my name is Chaos."

"Chaos. It was you who released the Energy Beast from Etheria?"

"Yes."

"And now you want my power?"

"Yes."

"JUDGEMENT!"

The finger shot out at Chaos. "My intentions are noble."

"To yourself. But still, that maybe enough to . . . eh? Your blood is . . ."

"It is."

"But how? I've watched the royal family carefully and I have not seen you before."

"No one has. I'm brand-new."

"Then you may have your power, Master Chaos. You do so intrigue me."


	7. Eternos versus the Energy Beast

CHAPTER FOUR

"Eternos versus the Energy Beast"

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you?"

King Adam ignored Duncan and walked right into the throne room. "Report," he said to Ram-Man-At-Arms.

"We just got word from Stratos and Buzz-Off. The Energy Beast will be here in five hours."

"Then it has passed my kingdom?" asked Talon. "Excellent."

"Our kingdoms, Talon," Stinger corrected. "And that is a very good thing. But it's still headed here - which is quite bad."

Adam turned to Machinesmith. "Any progress?"

"None. Our best bet is to just keep hitting and hope that it wears itself out."

Adam nodded assuredly. "Our only hope, then. Our quest has failed. We must re-double our defenses. I'll be in my office. I want a report on our progress every hour. Duncan, please have Teelana report see me immediately."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on Adam's door. He called for the person to walk in and in came Teelana. She frowned at Adam's expression.

"Your quest failed, I hear."

"Miserably."

"What happened?"

Adam looked up from his first tactical report and sighed. "We were called half-breeds, Teelana. Bastards of two worlds. Because my mother and father were not of the same race, the entire family was 'damned.' Loxx said that we don't deserve the power because that we weren't pure-blood Eternians. That we didn't even deserve the throne in the first place."

Teelana looked surprised. "Adam . . . I am so sorry."

"I wasn't expecting it to work out that way, I suppose. I figured I'd go in there, get the power and come back. I wasn't expecting myself nor my family to bashed for not being completely Eternian."

"There was no mistake made when your father married your mother. Such things are destiny. Such as becoming He-Man and defeating Skeletor."

Adam scoffed. "A destiny laid out by Zodac, eh Teelana?"

"I'm afraid so. But perhaps it was his destiny to journey to Eternia and disrupt the balance."

He grinned and stood up. "What do you think our destiny is today, Teelana? Do you think we'll win this day?"

"I think your destiny is whatever you make, King Adam. And I think you will win this day."

***

Machinesmith sat in the pit in the lab, trying to cobble something up. It was getting harder and harder to think now that the Energy Beast had been spotted. It was less than an hour away and to be honest, Machinesmith was getting frustrated.

If there was only some way not to energize it when they fire the lasers. But there wasn't . . . wait. Machinesmith stood up and snapped his fingers in realization.

"I've got it!"

He immediately started to reach for pieces, but realized just how much time it would take to do what he needed to do. Too long, damn it, he thought. But that wasn't going to stop him.

***

"There he is," said Addison, turning then to Adam. "Just over the horizon. He'll be coming through that forest soon."

"I want all Defenders and Heroic Warriors on alert. We'll send them on the Energy Beast first, then your troops will start attacking. We'll the reserves after that."

"Yes sir."

Adam sighed deeply. "I hate war," he said plainly, then turned on his heel and walked back towards the palace.

"Do you think we'll win this one?" asked Amelia, stepping past her father and next to Addison.

"I hope so. I hope so . . ."

There was a sudden crack in the air as trees smashed and the Energy Beast came barreling through the forest. He unleashed a gigantic roar, streams of energy flowing from his body, slamming on the terrain around him.

"By the Sorceress . . ." Amelia uttered, fear entering her mind.

Addison felt it too, but stiffened up. "Bang the drums! Prepare for battle! Blow the horns! Prepare for war!"

Sounds of readiness in the form of music filled the great city as the Energy Beast came ever closer, his body huge and powerful.

"Good luck, Addison," Amelia told her brother, touching his shoulder.

"Thank you. We'll need it," Addison whispered back. "Defenders! Stand tall and prepare to engage on my mark!"

The Energy Beast lurched forward, streams of power flying about - reaching ever closer to Eternos. Addison counted off the seconds in his head - then gave the order.

"MARK!"

Just as the Energy Beast was about to step forward, an explosion erupted right in front it, causing pause in the former ruler. That pause was all the Heroic Warriors needed.

The ground began to rumble as Exo banged his two large, exo-skeletal fists onto the sturdy floor. Talon unleashed missiles from his harness. Stinger threw her harpoons at the Energy Beast. Ice and snow flew towards the monster as Snowball released a barrage of his powers. Tail leapt in, her claws scratching part of the surface. Horn followed up with a huge sonic blast.

It didn't stop.

The Energy Beast marched forward. As the Heroic Warriors brought upon a second wave of attacks, the Energy Beast shoved them away with lightning bolts.

And kept on walking.

"First volley!" commanded Addison. "Launch attack! Fire!"

Scores of arrows shot through the air, striking the Energy Beast. They had no effect on the creature. 

Suddenly, the word 'STOP!' appeared before Energy Beast. Not far away, the Poet smiled. The Energy Beast fired a beam of energy at Poet, but it missed, allowing him to move swiftly away. The Energy Beast then shoved through the word and kept going.

"We have to keep him from the wall!" shouted Exo, running forth.

His hands wrapped around the Energy Beast's leg and he pulled. The Energy Beast paused, ready to blast him away. But then Horn's sonic blast struck once more - this time, far harder than before. The words 'LONG ROPE' formed around Energy Beast and he was pulled back.

The Energy Beast was about to reach and destroy them both, but Stinger and Talon swooped down, distracting him. Tail was leaping and bounding around before him, distracting as well.

Adam walked over to Addison. "Machinesmith has a plan. How long can they keep the Energy Beast occupied?"

"Not too much longer."

It was then that Machinesmith came running up the stairs to the wall. He was carrying two cases of small, rectangular devices. "I've got them! I've got them! Start putting them on the power packs of your laser blasters!"

"You heard him!" ordered Addison. "First line! Display your weapons! Second line, fill in!"

"Whatever happens, whatever doesn't feel natural - don't ever stop firing once the order is given. Your weapon will overload, but should shut down before then," Machinesmith explained. "Attach these to your power packs. I'll be right back!"

"They've got a plan!" yelled Snowball, icing up the Energy Beast's leg.

"Pull back!" shouted Talon.

"Pull really really FAR back!" followed up Tail.

The Energy Beast was furious and about to strike - until laser beams started to slice into him. Suddenly, his body began to swirl and grow stronger with power and energy. The fools were causing him to grow far more powerful . . . greater and greater.

"They're making him stronger," Addison released, startled.

"Just hang on, son," Adam reassured his adopted son.

"Sir! Something's happening to our lasers! They've stopped unleashing energy! They're pulling it back in!"

"They're absorbing the Energy Beast's power."

Indeed. The Energy Beast roared in pain and frustration. His power was being drained from his body and into the power packs of the laser blasters. But they weren't enough. There was still so much of himself that they weren't tapping into.

And then a great laser cannon rose from behind the wall and opened fire. A continuous beam of laser energy flowed outward, striking the Energy Beast right in the chest. At first, his power grew - only to find that that feeling was disappearing. Replacing it was the feeling of being drained. Deeper now than ever before - he himself was being drained!

In a sudden flash, the Energy Beast was gone - trapped in the laser cannon's power pack.

"Great job, Machinesmith!" yelled Adam.

"Not done yet, sir! He's overloading the power pack! I've got to blast him out into space - it's the only way to deal with him!"

Machinesmith pressed a few buttons, the laser cannon facing straight up. It then released an erratic beam out of the end - shooting far and far beyond the atmosphere. Out of orbit, that's how powerful the beam was. Into outer space it yet, far from Eternia.

The Machinesmith released a stressed breath . . . right before everyone started shouting and hollering.

"HE DID IT!"

Ram-Man-At-Arms hoisted Machinesmith up, throwing his fists up in victory. "HE DID IT! HE BEAT THE ENERGY BEAST!"

The Heroic Warriors and Defenders crowded around, as well as the royal soldiers. He blushed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Aw shucks, guys, I mean - it was a team effort . . ."

"THREE CHEERS FOR THE DEFENDERS, THE HEROIC WARRIORS, THE ROYAL SOLDIERS AND - MACHINESMITH!"

"**_HIP-HIP-HURRAH! HIP-HIP-HURRAH! HIP-HIP-HURRAH!_**"

As the celebrations continued, though, Emily couldn't help but turn her thoughts elsewhere. She knew that the Energy Beast had been held caged years ago. Unable to escape. But then . . . how did it escape . . .? Or perhaps more correctly . . . who let the Energy Beast lose?


	8. Premonitions and Promotions

CHAPTER FIVE

"Premonitions and Promotions"

_There was darkness. And voices. And things that burned and things that stung. There was a strange smell in the air, like sulfur and brimstone._

And the something changed. There was a light being shone - but it was so far away. He got up - had he been sitting? - _and ran towards this light. His feet pushed against whatever ground there was and he just kept trying to get to that light in front of him._

Closer and closer he came, the light still radiant. It was feeling warm and cold at the same - it's wonderous power blowing all things away from him. And then King Adam saw what this light really was.

The Sword of Power was before him, glistening and shining like it was in the middle of the transformation. And all Adam wanted to do was reach out a grab it. He did so . . . his hand extending towards the hilt . . . fingers ready to grasp it and use it for the great transformation into He-Man, hero of Primus, Etheria and Eternia.

Yet as soon as he went to grab it, the sword was gone. The light was gone. Darkness was all around him. And a laugh. A familiar cackle that he had known for years.

There was as burning light that rose from the ground - a light that was so unlike that which had surrounded the Sword of Power. No, this light surrounded the man known as Skeletor.

Draped in a violet cloak, Skeletor laughed as he opened up his hand - and a black crow appeared. It cawed at Adam, then shot forth, straight at him. As soon as it reached his face, though, both the crow and Skeletor were gone.

Replaced by nothing but darkness.

Adam shot up from his dream and found himself sweating and panting. "What was that?" he asked no one. He turned to his wife, who was fast asleep next to him. He hadn't woken her, apparently. Which was fine with him. His eyes looked to the clock, which immediately told him that he had only been asleep for an hour. It was just past midnight. 

Not feeling like going back to sleep, Adam stood and walked towards the balcony. He looked to find the lights on in the lab. Machinesmith or RMAA was always late, working on something. But the lights were out, telling Adam that they weren't there for some reason.

"Oh yeah," he told himself.

Some of the old members of the Defenders came to take the new members out to celebrate their recent victory over the Energy Beast. Their first major battle, major villain, and major victory.

Maybe that was what stirred up the dream. Adam could only hope so.

He had a sudden urge to join them in their late-night celebrations and even considered doing so, until Teela sat up and looked at him. "What is it?"

"Nightmare."

"I'm sorry," she said, getting out of bed and moving next to him. "Anything I can do to help?"

He shook his head.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"There was all this darkness, and I saw the Sword of Power. But as I reached for it, it was gone. Skeletor came then and released this crow at me. The crow disappeared and I was back in the darkness."

"What do you think it means?"

"Probably just has to do with yesterday's battle. You know, first enemy appearing after so long. Haven't had one since Marzo."

She nodded and leaned her hand against his chest. "Yeah," Teela assured him. "I love you, you know."

"I know," was his reply, "and I love you too."

***

"Hey barkeep! Another round for the house!" Man-E-Faces shouted.

"On my tab!" followed up Sy-Klone.

Snout Sprout held the mug up to his trunk and sucked it all up. "It's good!"

A whole host of the old Defenders had come to celebrate their predecessor's success. 'Old school'-style, as Ram-Man-At-Arms had put it.

"So, that power of yours sounds pretty cool, Horn," commented Clamp Champ.

"Thanks!" Horn returned.

"HEY EVERYBODY!" Sy-Klone yelled. "How about a good old bar song? Just like the ones we used to sing back in the day!"

"Good idea!"

__

"Ooooooooooohhhhhh!

Who lives in a mountain on the dark hemisphere? Skeletor bonehead!

Ugly and blue and skull-faced is he! Skeletor bonehead!

If joining losers is something you wish! Skeletor bonehead!

Then join the crappy gang with Tri-Klops and man-fish! Skeletor bonehead!

Ooooooohhh!

Skeletor bonehead!

Skeletor bonehead!  
Skeletor bonehead!

Skeletor bonehead!"

The song turned into laughter as the group realized they had a few too many to sing the next verse. Poet chuckled to himself and turned to Tail, who was enjoying this little fest.

"This is a lot of fun," she said with a grin.

"Definitely. You were pretty good out there, you know?"

"Really? Thanks. Your 'stop' was perfect."

"Oh that? That was nothing."

"No, really, that was really good. It's good to have someone like you out there to help us out."

"Well, thank," Poet replied. "And I gotta say . . . I loved your moves . . ."

She smiled at him. "Well, we felines are known for our moves."

There was a strange moment, when the two of them felt a connection unspoken. Just as they were about to explore it, Philip appeared behind them, throwing his hands onto their shoulders.

"This is great, isn't it?! The best night of my life!"

Just then, Mekaneck's head appeared next to him. "Glad you feel that way! I'm proud of you, son. And I'm glad you can celebrate this victory. I'm proud of all of you!"

"Thank you, sir," Tail answered.

"Yes, thanks," Poet added, feeling the moment lost.

Meanwhile, across the room, Machinesmith was nursing a drink, feeling a bit tired of people commenting and praising him on the victory.

"Hey, Machinesmith, you all right?" asked Ram-Man-At-Arms.

He mustered a smile. "Yeah. I guess it's just . . . I overheard this rumor about this promotion. I'm not sure if I want a promotion."

"Why not?"

"To be honest, sir, what I did, I did in that lab. I don't want to leave it."

Ram-Man-At-Arms finished off his mug. "Well, don't worry about that, kiddo."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because you'll spending a lot more in time there because of your promotion."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're going to be the new Man-At-Arms."

Machinesmith nearly choked. "What? Are-are you serious? That's . . . that's . . . whoa."

"Yeah."

"But I can't take that position. I mean, that's your - "

"I'm retiring, kid."

"HUH?!"

"Yeah. I'm buying this bar."

"But . . . I mean, does the King . . ."

"He knows. He approves. You'll be the youngest Man-At-Arms ever, but hey - I can't think of anyone else suited for this job."

Machinesmith nearly cried. He lurched forward and hugged Ram-Man-At-Arms. "Thank you, sir. You won't regret this decision."

"HEY EVERYBODY!" yelled out Fisto. "Who's up for a good ol' drinking game?!"

The entire room roared in acceptance.

"Then come on! I know exactly where we can do this!"

Somehow, the whole gang found their way into a room that branched off from the main lab. It housed a machine that allowed ones own memories to be shown onto screen. Everyone took his or her seats as alcohol was passed around.

"Okay!" shouted Ram-Man-At-Arms. "Here's the deal! We're gonna watch one of the old missions we were on!"

"For old times sake!" added Sy-Klone.

"Here's the rules of the game," explained Fisto. "One shot for every time He-Man beats the crap outta one of Skeletor's evil warriors!"

"Two shots for every time He-Man beats up Skeletor!"

"Three shots for every time WE beat up one of evil warriors!"

"And four shots each time Skeletor swears vengeance!"

And with that, the celebrations continued for the rest of the night . . . or until everyone passed out.


	9. The Honor of Avion

CHAPTER SIX

"The Honor of Avion"

Emily was bit startled when she found everyone the next morning. She had forgotten that they had been out celebrating, so was shocked to find them here. While some of them (Poet, Tail, Mekaneck, Exo, and Fisto) had all managed to stumble back home, the others apparently decided to "camp out" in the Memory Room.

"So this is the mighty Defenders of Eternos?" asked Talon, who had come in behind her. "Passed out and foul-smelling."

"They were out celebrating last night," Emily told him. "It was their first victory and the old warriors thought that -"

"I know the details, daughter of Adam."

"Then why are you down here?"

"I came here to find the Machinesmith. My father wanted to congratulate him on his recent . . . promotion. But it seems that will have to wait until that man wakes up and fixes his hang over. I would suggest a drink for the congratulations, but it seems that Machinesmith can't handle it and would make a fool of himself."

Emily spun around, glaring. "What is your problem?"

"My problem is that Eternos continually depends on Avions assistance. And it comes to no surprise seeing as how your people celebrate."

"What? You want to rescind the treaty just because a few of the finest warriors had a few too many the night of their first major victory?! You're pathetic."

Emily couldn't believe what just poured out of her mouth, but she had a lot of built-up aggression and Talon was just asking for a debate.

"What does it matter to you? It's not like you'll be getting the throne!" Talon snapped back at her.

"And?! That means I can't have an opinion in politics?!"

"You're nothing more than a child! The only thing you should have to worry about - "

"Oh! Just who are you to tell me what to worry about, huh?!"

"Fine! Then you must realize that the only reason that Avion is still holding up with Eternos is purely out of tradition!"

"OH OKAY! THEN DOWN WITH TRADITION! MAYBE I SHOULD GET THE THRONE!"

"MAYBE!"

"EMILY!"

"TALON!"

The two of them jerked over to see their fathers - Adam and Stratos - looking quite displeased. "Just what is going on here?"

"Father, I . . ."

"Dad - "

"Forget it," Startos cut in. "We don't want to know. Talon, we spoke about this. The alliance between Avion and Eternos is not of tradition, but protection for both our peoples."

"Yes father," Talon strained.

"And Emily," Adam brought in, "you are too young to understand the delicacies of politics."

"Right, sure. Well, at least I respect our allies!" she shouted, projecting it right at Talon.

"EMILY!" yelled Adam.

Emily just grunted and walked away. "Nevermind, Dad. You don't understand," she muttered as she stomped out.

Adam sighed. "I'll talk to her," he told Stratos and Talon.

"No, Adam, I'm afraid she's right," Stratos replied, turning towards Talon. "We must respect and honor we have allied ourselves with, son."

Talon snarled. "You know what, Dad? STUFF IT!"

The young Avion ran towards the nearest exit, then shot into the clear, blue sky. Stratos sighed to himself.

"I'm getting too old for this."

Adam grinned. "It's alright. They both have a lot of learning to do."

"I suppose."

"Hey . . ." moaned Ram-Man-At-Arms as he awoke. "What's going on?"

***

As soon as Emily slammed the door of her room, she let out a sequeal of anger and kicked her wall. "Ow!" she gasped. "Damn it, that hurt."

She began to reach for her bags so she could just get to school and leave the Palace for another week - when she realized something very odd. From the midst of her anger, a clear and strangely rational thought came to her.

Anti-traditionalism.

That was what the entire debate was about, wasn't it? About not wanting to go through with certain traditions and rites. Her insecurities about not getting the throne. His insistence that the alliance between Avion and Eternos was nothing more than an on-going tradition.

And that was something he was quite passionate about. He was willing to go straight to personal attacks to defend his point. She couldn't help but admire someone like that. Someone that is able to come and fight and go straight for the jugular if need be. Emily could feel the intentness about him. She could see it in those cute eyes of his . . .

Emily paused, realizing what was going on.

"Oh no . . ." she complained aloud. "I have a crush on him."

***

Just south of the Mystic Mountains, Talon found himself a good place to sit and sulk. He cursed himself for losing his temper, but not too much. Of what he said, he regretted only the personal attack on the young princess. It was an immature judgement on his part, but he was upset at these people.

"Son?"

Talon turned around, finding his father standing right behind him. "Father, I . . . I'm sorry . . ."

"It is alright, Talon. These are . . . trying times."

"Are they?" asked Talon, standing up now. "Because besides the Energy Beast, there hasn't been a major threat to Eternia in twenty years."

"Our peoples must still remain connected. We are allies, not enemies."

"I understand that, father. But Avion should stand with Eternos on everything? If you ask me, Eternos is holding us back from becoming a stronger power. You said that we must do what is right for Avion, but what if what is right for Avion is growing beyond the need for Eternos?"

"Perhaps, son, but it would be unwise to throw off our bounds to Eternos."

"Maybe, father, maybe."

Just then, two figures dropped down from the sky. "There you are!" exclaimed Buzz-Off, who was followed by Stinger.

"We've got a bit of a problem," said Stinger.

"There's been a band of Trolls along the canyons of Yon, up to no good. We thought since we shared that boarder, we could both investigate."

"Of course. Talon?"

Stratos' son stood and the four shot into blue sky. Stratos was a little concerned to see dark, gray clouds beginning to gather in the north, but decided they had some time before any sort of storm kicked up. And he could tell by the hairs on the neck that there was one waiting in the wings.

The canyons of Yon were huge and quite treacherous. But Stratos and the others were up for it. Hopefully, they could find something.

"Talon, you and Stinger head east. Buzz-Off and I will head west. We'll meet in one hour," Stratos ordered.

"Yes father."

Stinger and Talon searched the east end of the canyons carefully, with Stinger attempting to conjure up some small talk. Talon barely answered, obviously split between concentrating on the task at hand and what he and his father had spoken about earlier.

"There!" shouted Stinger.

"I see them!"

The pair dove in low, eyes locked on the five Trolls . . . that lay upon the ground, dead.

"What is this?" asked Talon, looking-over their corpses.

"I'm not sure," Stinger replied. "They don't look like a member of any clan I'm familiar with. Looks to be hired help."

"They were each stabbed through the heart," Talon noted. "But I don't see any other tracks."

"Here are the Trolls tracks. It looks like they were coming from the west."

Meanwhile, Buzz-Off and Stratos touched down between two large cliffs. "Here are their tracks. Five of them," Stratos observed. "Coming from the south."

Stratos began to follow the tracks as Buzz-Off took a close look at his surroundings. The king of Avion tried to figure out why the Trolls would be in this area. It was clearly not a part of their territory. No where near their area.

Then it dawned on him. He turned around and was about to speak, when there was sudden explosion from the cliff! It was coming down!

Stratos shot like a dart towards Buzz-Off, pushing him out of the path of the falling rocks. Buzz-Off was sent across ground and turned to see Stratos . . . as the rocks poured onto the Avions body.

"STRATOS! NO!" shouted Buzz-Off, speeding over. He immediately began to pull rocks away, hoping and praying the Stratos was still alive.

He finally found Stratos and pulled him out from the pile and into his arms. "Stratos, come on, speak to me . . ."

Stratos' body was bloodied and bruised. Bones were broken, including his tattered wings.

"FATHER!" screamed Talon, then, landing right next to him. He pulled the body from Buzz-Off's arms and held his father.

"Oh no," gasped Stinger.

"Father, speak . . ." Talon begged, pulling off his helmet, as well as Stratoses.

With blood-caked lips, Stratos groaned. "Son . . . Talon . . ." Stratos muttered, his hand rubbing against Talon's cheek.

"Father, you're going to be okay."

Stratos' eyes defied that logic, but he said nothing of it. Instead, he brought his hand around Talon's neck. "Avion . . . Talon . . ."

"Father! Father!" Talon gasped, hearing Stratos' voice weaken.

"Talon . . . Avion . . . honor . . . honor it . . ." Stratos moaned. And then, with one last heave of breath, the great king said no more.

"Father . . . FATHER! FATHER, WAKE UP! FATHER - WAKE UP!" Talon yelled, tears beginning to bud in his eyes. "WAKE UP, FATHER, WAKE UP! Please . . . please . . ."

But it was no use.

Stratos, king of Avion, warrior of Eternos, and father of Talon was dead.


	10. Dark Clouds

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Dark Clouds"

The winds were heavy and fast as the funeral began. It was dusk, the sun making the sky turn hues of red, orange, yellow and purple. Dark clouds that were beginning sink were reflecting the warm colors against their grays and blacks.

Adam sat silently as he, the rest of the royal family, and Machinesmith (the new Man-At-Arms) all sat together. A few others were with him, including Buzz-Off and Stinger; King Felinus of the Cat-People; Mer-Man; and King Jade. There was a coffin before them, separating this group from a large contingent of Avions. Many of other Avions filled the sky, to celebrate the life and mourn the death of King Stratos.

Talon, now the king, walked forward, his pale blue eyes forcing themselves dry. He stood at the head of the coffin and nodded to the representatives of the other peoples of Eternos. Then, he did the same to his own people. Finally, he stood straight and looked longly at the coffin that held his father.

After a few silent moments, Talon eased his head up and faced the people that had touched his father's life.

"I was named Talon," he began. "As some of you may or may not know, Talon was the name of a great warrior nearly 1,000 years ago. The strength and honor that he wielded is legendary. He even defended Eternos when all other peoples abandoned them - and the battle was won that day, all because of his wisdom and strength.

"Very few have carried on his legacy and are worthy of even coming to being compared to Talon. Myself included, though I carry his name. Few are to dare to be compared to him - but not my father. King Stratos of Avion was a warrior beyond the very meaning of the word. His battles with Skeletor, Hordak, and King Hiss were always fought with a style and grace that is rarely seen here on Eternia. His leadership is without question, as well. When Hordak invaded Eternia and King Buzz-Off was taken prisoner, Stratos and the Avions led the Insectoids into the deep caverns of the Mystic Mountains - while he fought undaunted.

"He was like that, my father, always bound and determined to put the safety of his people before anything else. To follow in his footsteps is something I am not prepared to do, but with my father's spirit within me, I know that my doubts will quick. Now, fellow Avions, if you will accompany me as I take my father on one final journey."

Adam took a breath, knowing that this was a traditional thing for Avions. A designated group of Avions lift and carry the coffin high into the air, with the rest of the people in tow. It's a glorious sight . . . and they take the coffin beyond the horizon and drop it beyond the shores of Vine Jungle. It was to be taken and be tossed by waves that would lift both into the sky and bring it to a resting-place beneath the seas.

For some reason, he was curious to know if Mer-Man knew anything about this, but pushed it out of his mind. Talon was leading the group of Avions as they lifted into the sky, carrying the coffin of Stratos with them.

Like a flock of birds, they flew in formation - as far as the eye can see - towards the coastline to the south.

Adam and the other representatives stood and watched respectfully until the group was gone, then turned to each other.

"I've never heard nor seen anything quite like this," Mer-Man said. "Coffins nor Avion bodies have never appeared on the sea floor."

"Strange," noted Buzz-Off. "I thought most Avion bodies were burned upon death."

"Not royalty," King Jade told him.

"I see."

Adam took a breath. "I would like to know who killed him."

"And the Trolls that set that trap," Stinger followed-up.

"It was meant for the both of us," Buzz-Off commented sadly. "If I had just been paying attention . . ."

King Felinus put his hand on Buzz-Off's shoulder. "You're being too hard on yourself, Buzz-Off. Stratos died saving you. Best not to dishonor him by wishing the act hadn't happened."

"I suppose."

"We should probably concentrate on investigating the murder," Machinesmith added.

After a few moments, the Avions flocked home. Talon made b-line straight for the representatives. "Thank you for coming," he told them. "You have always honored Avion and my father in the past. To be here does further honor."

"I just want you to know that we'll help in any way with the investigation," King Adam said.

Talon paused briefly, but then nodded slowly. "Thank you. If you will excuse me, now, there are some personal things I need to take care of."

A round of apologies came from the group and Talon started to walk off - only to find Emily running to catch up to him. "Talon?" she asked softly and nervously. "I'm sorry about your father."

He turned to her, an expression unreadable. "Thank you. My apologies for the other day. I was speaking out of turn."

"Well, so I was. I was just having problems," Emily returned, remembering that week and its fun little visitor. "But I'm sorry about that too."

"Thank you. I shall see you upon my next visit to Eternos."

Emily mustered a slight grin. "Bye."

"Good bye."

***

Lynn sat upon a large cliff, out above the rest of Eternia. Far from the eyes of men. She had barely aged a day since she took up studying the light arts. Indeed, her entire body seemed full of new life and regeneration. Her skin was warmer and less pale than it was during her time with Skeletor.

As she sat in meditation, as she had for the past two weeks, Lynn took note of a subtle movement behind her.

"You've found me, Ninjor. Now what do you want?"

Lynn turned around to find Ninjor - just as she expected - standing behind her. "How did you know?"

"Please. I've been up here for weeks, speaking to the wind. It told me you were coming as soon as you left your home."

Ninjor sighed, then nodded slowly. "I've come to speak with you."

"I already know. Yes, he is."

Ninjor closed his eyes. "I should have known. He was the one that arranged the death of Stratos."

"Of course. He is quite resourceful."

"What are you going to do about it, Lynn?"

"I . . . I don't know."

Ninjor gruffed. "You need to find that out!"

"I realize that!" she snapped back. "But I'm not sure yet."

The pair fell silent. "When are you going to tell Adam?"

For a long while Lynn gave no answer, gazing her sight out towards the long, thick fields that spiraled out beyond this mountain. "Soon enough, Ninjor, soon enough."

***

"The Trolls have closed their boarders," reported Man-At-Arms (Machinesmith).

Adam stood up from the throne, mouth agape. "What?" he questioned, shocked.

"Some sort of internal issue. That's all they told us," he replied. "That, and Darksmoke is now off-limits."

Pounding his fist onto the arm of his chair, Adam then shot up. "DAMNATION!"

The entire court fell silent and Adam closed his eyes, hoping to block out the anger he was feeling. Teela looked at him silently with concern. Slowly and carefully, her hand fell upon his fist. He took his seat, then, and closed his eyes, pressing his fingers against each other and bowing his head.

For a long moment, he remained like this, until he lifted his head and looked straight at the new Man-At-Arms. "Send out a surveillance team. I would like to have details. Send Exo and Horn. I want a report in thirty-six hours. Then, I want Tail and Poet to investigate the area that Stratos was killed. See if you can get Stinger to help you."

"Yes sire," Man-At-Arms replied, heading out the door. Adam sighed deeply and shook his head.

"I lost my temper."

"You have every right to, Adam. This is a tough enough situation."

"Something's not right here, Teela. First, the Energy Beast is released. Then, Stratos is killed. And then, Darksmoke seals its boarders. There's something going on, Teela - I can feel it. Something dark and evil is rising. It's circling around us and it's going to strangle us. And this time, I can't stop it."

Adam buried his face into his hands as Teela sat in shock as hearing all this. "You can," she said in nearly a whisper, "and we can help you."

But King Adam had no answer for his queen.

***

Thundering against the dirt, ten glowing, skeleton-like creatures rode on their beasts. The sun was lowering and it would soon be time to do their masters bidding. And so, they disappeared - away from Eternia and into the Hidden Realm.


	11. The Bottom Drops Out

CHAPTER EIGHT

"The Bottom Drops Out"

"Is that an explosion?" asked Exo, his energy armor allowing him to magnify the top of Darksmoke.

"I don't know. You tell me."

"It was," Exo replied. "You know, this internal issue. I don't think it's a simply matter of someone loitering around Granamyr's old house. I'm thinking rebellion at this point."

"Seems the only logical explanation to me," Horn stated. "From what I can tell, there seems to be a lot of Trolls and Dragons up there."

"Well, yeah, they do have an alliance."

"It's not just that. My hearing is almost as advanced as my speaking. And I'm hearing fighting."

"Gentlemen," stated a Troll coming up from behind them. They were tucked behind a cropping of rocks, and had THOUGHT they were safe. "I was hoping you would respect our wishes. My name is Grimm, the former ambassador for this place. Predictably, King Adam sent you to spy on us. Give him this," he said then, handing them a letter. "It will explain things. Make it perfectly clear to him that we do not want any of you near our mountain."

Exo glanced at Horn. "Gotcha."

"Sure thing."

"Now - GET THE HELL OUT!"

***

Adam found the strangest thing relaxing. It was something that he hadn't done in a long while, but it still felt good. Cringer was asleep at his feet, as what he did most of the time these days. He was running his fingers through his mane, hearing the soft purr of the old tiger.

Just as Adam felt his body unwind, the doors of the throne room opened and Exo and Horn entered. "Sire, we have a message from former ambassador Grimm," reported Exo.

"What is it?" asked Adam, standing up and stepping down the stairs towards the pair. Cringer mewed a bit and rustled, then resumed his sleep.

Exo handed his king the letter. Adam fingered it, then ripped open the top and read:

'King Adam,

As we are sure you have noticed, Darksmoke has closed its boarders. We are currently facing a civil war. Certain factions under the command of the exiled dragon Razor Tongue have launched an attack on the Trolls and Dragons still loyal to Epoch, son of Granamyr. They have done this with the aide of an army of Goblins loyal to a man known as Master Chaos. We also believe this rebel faction was responsible for the death of King Stratos and the attempted murder of King Buzz-Off.

Stay away from our boarders, son of Randor, for this is our problem and our fight. Your interference will be an act of war.'

Adam let the letter drop to the ground. "Damn it."

"What is it, sire?" asked Horn.

"Someone named Master Chaos supplied a rebellious faction with an army of Goblins. Now the leader of this rebellious faction, Razor Tongue, has launched an assault on Epoch and the Trolls loyal to him. More than that, though, if we interfere, they see it as an act of war."

Adam turned away, struggling to keep his temper from flaring.

"What should we do about this, sire?" asked Exo.

"Nothing we can do, Phillip. But we just can't let this happen. Please, I need some time alone."

***

Amelia had been out jogging all morning and was certainly feeling thirsty enough to drink up the entire Sea of Gnarl. Her eyes fell upon Ram-Man's new establishment. It was a bar, which was something she just as well avoid. But, on the other hand, she was VERY thirsty . . .

She stepped into the bar, and was immediately greeted by Ram-Man's warm smile. "Hiya princess!" he shouted.

"Hello Ram-Man."

"What can I get you?" he asked her as she sat up on one of the barstools. "Hey, looks like you were out training."

"Jogging, actually. And I'll have a water, please."

"One water comin' right up!"

Amelia smiled before glancing over at Rio Blast, who looked like he was sleeping, with his head on the bar. She sighed and turned back to Ram-Man, who was now handing her the water. "Thank you," she said.

"So, what's new in the palace?"

"Nothing's blown up in a week."

"Ha ha ha!" Ram-Man laughed. "That's great, kid."

"Yeah well," she stated between chugs of water, "listen, I'm sorry about getting on your case about that. I guess I can come off pretty arrogant sometimes."

Ram-Man leaned forward and smiled warmly. "Don't worry, honey. We all get a little smug every once and while."

"I guess. But thanks, Rammy, I appreciate it."

"What are friends for?"

***

A little after noon, Adam decided to get a new perspective on things. The best way to do this, he decided, was to go out and walk with the people of Eternos. Hopefully, they wouldn't crowd him, but he knew there was no guarantee of that NOT happening.

Luckily, though, as he passed through the market place, all he received were happy smiled and reassuring handshakes. It was nice for Adam and for a moment - just as moment - he felt like things were actually back to normal.

"ADAM! KING ADAM!" came a cry.

Adam barely even got the chance to see where it came from when a brown-robed figure shot forth and wrapped his arms around Adam's legs.

"Wha - ?!" Adam gasped.

"I see it! I see tomorrow and it's so so so dark! The east! It's coming from the east!"

Adam backed up, the man falling to the ground. But he was up in a flash, this time, grasping onto Adam's collar.

"Who are . . . ?" But Adam's voice trailed off as he realized whom he was staring at. Tri-Klops. He was so much older, but his three-eyes were still intact.

"The east! The darkness is coming from the east! You will be striked at three times!"

"Tri-Klops!" came another shout. Trap-Jaw appeared then, though he was only one-armed. "Come on, I told you we needed to get this next shipment out."

Adam suddenly remembered that after Peacekeeper had helped them out of their evil tendencies, they had taken up sailing and delivering.

"Trap-Jaw? What's going on?"

Trap-Jaw felt a sweep of nervousness. "Ah, he gets like this. A hallucination."

"From the east! I see it!"

"Would you like me to see if Peacekeeper can do anything for him?"

"Maybe," Trap-Jaw replied, looking sadly at his friend. "Yeah. Sure."

"The east . . . the east . . ." he continued to mutter.

***

"I'm getting too old for this," grumped Randor as he rode Stridor through the Hidden Realm. The sun was setting and Randor found himself a little dismayed by the letter he received. It was from his brother and sister - Stephan and Johanna - asking to meet him here.

He sighed, his gray hair waving in the wind. There was something wrong about all of this, he decided as he approached an opening in the forest. Usually, if one of his younger siblings wanted to see him, they would just show up. But this time . . . something was different.

When Randor reached the meeting spot, he found Stephan and Johanna standing next to a beautiful white horse. They pair had been living here with their respective spouses since Hordak invaded - and both chose to remain here, placing their children in charge of their kingdoms.

"Randor," Johanna greeted. "So good to see you again!"

"The same to you, dear sister," Randor answered.

"Hello Randor," said Stephan. "Now, what is it you wanted to see us about?"

Randor was suddenly very confused. "What? I thought you wanted to see me?"

"No, not at all. We both got this letter from you, saying you wanted to meet us here. Randor, what's going on?"

A strange chill fell over them all. Both Stridor and the other horse neighed loudly and rushed off. The trio turned to see them trot away - afraid.

"Stridor too?" muttered Randor. "What could scare a mechanical horse?"

Just then, there was an eerie howl . . . and ten glowing skeletons appeared, each one with a long, flowing purple cloak.

"What in the name of the Sorceress are those?!" yelled Stephan, reaching for his communicator as they began to close in, drawing swords.

"I've heard of them," said Johanna, reaching for her own sword.

"Scare-Glows," Randor said at last, drawing his royal blade. "They are considered the ghosts of our dearly-departed brother, Keldor."

The Scare-Glows paused at that name, but then moved forward again.

"Communications are jammed. And we're miles away from help," Stephan said. "This was very-well planned trap."

"Can we take them?" Randor asked as he began to turn back-to-back with his siblings.

"No, probably not," Stephan replied grimly. "Run, Johanna."

"Why? So I can make it a couple more feet before they kill me? No. The children of Miro will stand together."

Randor took a deep breath, realizing just how true that statement was. Stephan must have realized this as well and nodded, saying "Until death and beyond, it seems. Unto the end?"

"Yes."

"Right."

"UNTO THE END!" the three shouted, swords waving as the Scare-Glows came upon them. There was the clanging of metal, the screaming and shouting of both the Scare-Glows and the three children of Miro. The battle was fierce and long, lasting for a time unknown - but longer than anyone had suspected.

But in the end, there could be only one victor . . .

And in the end, the Scare-Glows were the ones that emerged from the forest and teleported back to Eternia.


	12. Honor and Remembrance

CHAPTER NINE

"Honor and Remembrance"

There was a sudden, brisk breeze in the regularly warm air and Peacekeeper found herself wrapping her jacket closer around her body. Her eyes gazed forward to King Adam, who had a surprisingly happy smile on his face.

"Peacekeeper!" he exclaimed. "What have you found out?"

She grinned slightly and stepped before him. "Not much more than I did back when I worked in the Light-Zone."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the old riot? The one that Count Marzo started?"

"Yes."

"Well, it turns out that Tri-Klops had received a nasty blow to the head in the aftermath. It resulted in his eyes becoming severally damaged - basically unable to produce the energy beams he had used in battle. The odd thing is, though, that Tri-Klops started to refer to the three eyes as viewing different time frames. The one is his past, then second is his present, and the third is the future."

"Is it true?" asked Adam, sitting down upon a bench.

"No," Peacekeeper replied, sitting down next to him. "No, it's not. You see, when his visor broke, it sent some sort of surge into his brain. Every now and then, it causes him to hallucinate."

Adam nodded and Peacekeeper continued on. It was then, though, that he lost attention. Teela was walking out of the Palace and across the courtyard. Her head was hung low and there was certain air about her that told Adam that something was very wrong . . .

". . . after the hallucinations started, it seems that - "

Adam raised his hand and stood up. "Excuse me, Peacekeeper. Teela? What is it?"

Her frown deepened and Adam was surprised to find her arms wrapping around him. Tears were flowing freely from Teela's eyes, touching upon his shirt. "Teela?" he asked once more. "What's wrong?"

Teela pulled away and composed herself. "Adam, it's your father."

A sudden feeling of dread fell upon Adam's chest. "What? What's happened?"

"Oh, Adam . . ." she moaned. "I'm so, so sorry. Your father, he's . . . he's dead."

***

White flower pedals were flowing across Eternos as the crowd gathered for the mourning of the death of King Randor, King Stephan, and Queen Johanna. Adam walked with his mother and Adora behind the casket of Randor. Meanwhile, Edwina, Dell, and Jeremy all followed the casket of Stephan. Likewise, Michael was close behind Johanna's casket.

Only the royal family was allowed to enter the graveyard, all other visitors watching on monitors placed all across Eternos. Adam was a bit surprised by the turnout.

'Old hands' the likes of Man-E-Faces, Mekaneck, Ram Man, Buzz-Off, Fisto, Oroko, Dree-Eel Moss Man, Roboto, Sy-Klone, Rio-Blast, Snout Sprout, Extendar, Clamp Champ, Rotar, Gwildor, Glimmer, Bow, Fluterina. They were joining 'newbies' such as Talon, Exo, Poet, Man-At-Arms, Stinger, Tail, Snowball, Pebble, Peacekeeper, Horn and Nell. Leaders like King Jade, Lizard-Man, Mer-Man, and a few others had gathered as well. All them took their place behind the graveyard gates, with Duncan and Teelana.

The royal family spoke a few words, about each member that were apparently killed in the line of battle last night. 

But all Adora could think about was the past . . .

_Adam grinned back at Adora as she waited in the shadows. "Okay, everyone!" he told them. "No peeking!"_

Teela, Randor, Marlena, and Man-At-Arms all had their eyes covered. Adam was almost floating with excitement. She wasn't surprised - as his twin sister, she was feeling the same way. But there was deep feeling, bubbling through the happiness. Sadness . . . and anxiety? Would they even remember her? Would they love her? What if they didn't? Would they hate her?

"Okay, Adam," said Randor. Her father. This man was her father. The only one she could even come close to referring to in that position was Hordak. "We've done as you've asked. What is this surprise you've promised us? Are you going to keep us waiting all day?"

Adam smiled and turned to her. "Come on," he whispered. She nodded slowly and walked across the Throne Room floor. Her knees felt like Jell-O, her shoulders felt heavy. Adora was about to meet her parents for the first time since she was an infant.

She glanced at her brother, who was still smiling. Adora called upon her strength to bring up, but it didn't last long.

"Okay!" Adam yelled. "You can open your eyes now!"

Teela was first and Adora remembered a slight bit of jealousy. "Who is that?" she asked.

Man-At-Arm's jaw dropped and she suddenly remembered that he had chased after Hordak. Other than the Sorceress, he was the last one to see her before now. "By the Ancients . . ." he muttered.

Adora turned, finally, to her parents. They had just removed their hands and looked down at Adora with strange curiosity. 

Randor talked first, eyes just now catching sight of her. "It's about time - " he started but stopped immediately. Marlena's eyes grew wide

For a second, they didn't seem to realize who this was. Adora's heart pounded. Who were these people to her? Who was she to them? Would they love her? Would they even know her?

After a second that lasted a lifetime, Marlena spoke. She gasped. "Adora!"

That was all it took. She ran towards Marlena, a name escaping her lips. "Mother!" The two embraced.

Randor immediately held the two into his arms as Marlena continued to say her name, tears falling down across her cheeks.

"You're home," said Randor as Adam came to join them. A few more words were spoke, causing Adora's heart to open up and accept these people as the family that she did, truly belong to.

Randor slung his arm around Adam's shoulder. "Adam," he said with a smile, "I want you to know that you've made me the happiest man . . . on all Eternia." He hugged him again, then turned to the entire family. "The royal family is whole once more. And by the Ancients, I swear that nothing shall separate us again."

It was those words that pounded it in for Adora. She was home, at long last.

Adora pulled herself from the memory and wiped a newly formed tear from the corner of her eye. She looked to Adam, who was doing the same thing.

Adam tried to give a smile to his sister, but it came out all wrong. Teela was sitting next to him, holding his hand and trying to reassure him. It was doing little good, considering how upset she was. Adam looked to her and spoke something to her.

Teela tried to pay attention, but a memory was starting to clear up in her mind.

_The sixteen-year-old Teela snapped her staff out, hearing it clang against the staff of her opponent. It slid around and clanged again. Stratos blocked her again._

"Watch out!" ordered her father, who was watching over this training session.

She tried to heed his advice, but the much larger and much faster Stratos shot in and smacked at her feet. Teela lost her balance, which resulted in Stratos shooting her staff from her hand and having his sticking right in her face.

He laughed. "A good try, Teela."

Teela shoved the staff out her face and stood up. "Yeah, well, that's all this ever is, isn't? Just one big stupid game!"

The young woman stomped off, embarrassed by the fight. Why was she being sent up against people like Stratos, who were older, more experienced, faster, and stronger? She should be fighting someone like Adam -someone with her size and her age group.

After a while of sitting alone on the other side of the Palace, a shadow fell upon her. She looked up - and was shocked to see King Randor.

"Sire!" she shouted, shooting up from the bench.

"I saw what happened," he said in an apologetic manner. "I was wondering if I could give you few pointers?"

Teela felt very vulnerable and open all of a sudden, but nodded in compliance. "Of course."

"Here," he said, handing her a staff. He produced a second one and prepped himself. "Advance, Teela."

She did so, the two staffs snapping against each other. It was only a few seconds into it that Teela felt the same frustration that she had earlier. Apparently, Randor sensed this and began to speak to her.

"Don't let yourself get frustrated, Teela. That's wasting energy," he told her, blocking her staff. "Instead, concentrate and focus on the task at hand. Ignore the details of the person you're fighting. Some day, you might be fighting against someone with far more experience than you. Ignore that experience and concentrate on finding their weakness and exploiting it."

His words touched her, and Teela found herself searching as she blocked. That was when she found Randor's vulnerability. Her staff shot at his wrist, causing his staff to fall to the ground. She kicked it away, then followed through and knocked Randor to the floor.

Randor laughed. "Good job, Teela!" Teela smiled and helped him up. "It's nice to know you listen to me sometimes!" he exclaimed with a wide grin.

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

"I'm listening to you now," Teela whispered. "Now more than ever."

"What was that?" asked Adam.

"Nothing, sweetie. Nothing to worry about."

It was at this point that the funeral ended and everyone started out of the royal graveyard. Adam and Teela met up with Duncan and Teelana. The four spoke softly to each to each other, but Duncan was thinking of a small part of his life . . . a part from the past . . .

_An explosion filled their vision. Duncan held his laser to his chest and allowed himself to fall back into the trench._

"Damn it!" he shouted. "They've got missiles!"

"Duncan!" yelled Randor, running along the trench. "The Horde Troopers are moving in! We need more time! If we can get back to Eternos, then we can still stand a chance against them!"

Another explosion roared, noting the onward march of Hordak's forces. "Right! I've got an idea! An EMP should knock out their circuits for a few minutes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I need back to one of our Battle Tanks!"

"I'll come with you!"

"No, sire! It's too dangerous! You can make it back to Eternos!"

Randor shook his head and shoved his friend out of the trench and back towards a lone Battle Tank. "This is an order! You rewire the Battle Tank and I'll cover you!"

Duncan grunted, but pulled open a panel on the Battle Tank and went to work. After a few minutes of heavy fire, Randor gasped.

"I see him," he muttered.

"Who?"

"Skeletor," Randor replied. Duncan sighed. He was one of the few people that knew that Skeletor was, in fact, Randor's own brother. "I have a clear shot, too. I could take him out of his misery. I could end this. That would leave Hordak without his right-hand man."

Duncan gulped as he watched Randor position his weapon. But he never pulled the trigger. He loosened his grip. Randor said nothing, but Duncan knew the truth. As twisted as Keldor had become, he still couldn't kill him. Randor still loved his brother.

"Don't worry about it, sire," Duncan assured him. "I've got the Electro-Magnetic Pulse ready."

Randor grinned. "You know, Duncan, when this is all over, you're getting a promotion. I'm making you the next Man-At-Arms."

"Sire, if we make it through this at all, I'm going to grow a mustache."

Randor smiled at his friend, then Duncan flipped on the EMP. And as Horde Troopers began to shut down across the battlefield, the pair laughed.

They didn't stop until they returned to Eternos.

Duncan sighed and hugged Marlena. "I'll see you back at the Palace, Marlena," he told her. She nodded and then hugged Teelana.

"Are you coming back with us, Mom?" asked Adora.

"In a few minutes, darling," she replied. "I need to say good bye to your father."

"Of course."

Marlena wandered back into the graveyard, her eyes resting on the stone casket, which was marked with a statue of King Randor. She suddenly remembered how their love first blossomed and held onto the memory.

_"We have your ship in storage," Randor said to Marlena as he approached her in the courtyard._

"Thank you," she answered. "Though I doubt it'll do any good. It's not like I can get back home."

Randor frowned at this response. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"I suppose not. This is a brand new world, full of some many new things. New peoples, new species. But, you know, it's so strange . . ."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Despite the things that are so different, there are some things that are the same."

"Like what?"

"Like . . ." she began, but paused to look for the right word. ". . . like love, for example."

"Love? What do you mean by that?" he asked. She suddenly noticed that the king was turning a bit red in the face.

"I mean that I can be an entire galaxy away from my homeworld, but I can still manage to fall in love."

He smiled, trying to act innocent. "And just who might person be?"

"King Randor," she presented, "I love you. I've loved you since you pulled me out of the spaceship."

Randor grinned at her. "The funny thing is, Marlena, that I love you too. From exactly the same moment."

The two moved closer and closer, until the embraced, lips pressing together in a deep devouring form. After they broke, Marlena grinned and looked up at her love.

"Ask me again if it would be such a bad thing if I stayed," she told him.

"'Would it?'" she quoted. "'No Randor. It would be a bad thing if I left.'" Her fingers ran across the stone memorial, eyes closed. "Good bye, my love."

As she stepped away, Marlena passed by King Adam. She squeezed his hand, and offered a small smile. "Are you coming, son?"

"In a moment. I was hoping for a quiet minute alone with . . . Dad."

"Of course."

Adam stepped up to the statue and sighed.

_"Father," Adam said, walking up to Randor. He and Marlena had just returned to Eternia from Earth._

"Hello Adam!" Randor greeted, embracing his son. "You've done such a great job filling in for me while I've been gone."

Adam mustered a smile, but was more than ready to tell him the truth. "Father, I need to tell you something."

"You're He-Man?"

Adam was shocked. "Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

"Your mother and I had four years to figure it out on Earth. She already suspected. As soon as I realized it, it all made perfect sense."

"Then you're not made at me for lying?"

"Mad?! Ha! No, Adam, I'm not mad. I'm proud."

"Proud?"

"Proud that you had the strength within you. Releasing it as He-Man proves to me now why it seemed that you avoided confrontation."

"I'm sorry, father."

Randor smiled. "Son, I'm proud. I always have been. Before and after I found out about you and He-Man. I love you, boy."

"I love you too, Dad."

Adam sighed and nodded. Before he left the graveyard, he looked back at that statue. "Don't worry, father. I won't let you down. Good bye."


	13. Chaos Ensues

CHAPTER TEN

"Chaos Ensues"

Along the southern-most coast of the Dark Hemisphere, a fortress seemed to appear almost over-night. A huge tower, with incredible walls and gates, its creator has named it the Dark Tower. Its creator - Master Chaos - stepped through the dark corridor, towards his gathering room.

He approached a long table and observed the men and women he summoned to the Dark Tower. They all sat and stared at him. Master Chaos pulled down his hood, revealing his face and shaved bald-head to them for the first time. His skin was a sickly shade of pale, his face looking in its mid-twenties, though he was a good thirty. His eyes were a strange, yellow color that seemed to intimidate his guests.

"I'm sure you've heard the good news," he told them. "Razor Tongue and his Trolls have seized control of Darksmoke. It seems the Goblins I loaned to them did some good after all. Now, with Stratos, Randor, Stephen and Johanna have all been taken out, it is time to reveal ourselves. But, I suppose some introductions would be appreciated, hm?"

He turned to a tall, well-toned female. Her hair was a deep brown, cropped short. "This is Tough-Stuff. A woman raised by the Goblins. She possess exceptional strength and agility."

Tough-Stuff nodded, then Chaos turned to two large men. One was pure muscle and looked stronger than anyone else on Eternia. Beside him was a man in a huge iron, robotic suit that was exactly the same size. "This well-muscled man here is Smasher. His brother is Basher, who has very little muscle mass, but has built this robotic suit to equal out with his twin."

It then that a Trollian dressed all in black was pointed out. "Exile," Chaos announced. "A Trollian forced off his home planet because of the destruction he caused when he studied the dark arts. Luckily, I have offered him refuge here."

A man that seemed to be made entirely of glass was called to attention. "This is Glass. Like his namesake, he is able to turn himself and others into glass. It can then be smashed and reconstructed at will.

"Bombshell," said Master Chaos, sending a nod to a young blond woman, "can cause kinetic energy to gather and explode. Not to mention men's hearts."

A skeleton-like robot beeped from Chaos' side. "Ah, yes," he said, waving his hand, "and this is Sensor. My robotic slave."

Finally, Master Choas introduced his last warrior. A man covered in black armor, but with flame symbols all over it. "Blaze. Master of fire. He also serves as our weapons smith."

Master Choas leaned back then, and sighed. "Now that introductions have been made, let's get started shall we?"

***

Talon landed in the courtyard, a little surprised to see Stinger landing as well. He hadn't expected her to be here - nor had did he see her on his way south from the Mystic Mountains. But, still, there was a part of him that enjoyed surprises like this.

"Talon," she greeted with a smile "Good to see you again."

"You as well," he returned. "I did not see you when journeyed here."

"No, you didn't. I've been here, training with the others. I'm a warrior with these people, remember?"

"Oh yes," Talon replied, "I had forgotten."

"Yeah, well . . . what are you here for?"

He pulled out a scroll. "New treaty negotiations. I was hoping to cut one of the supply lines from Eternos to Avion."

"Why?"

"It is tedious. There is no point in having three supply lines."

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever."

Talon grunted and then started towards the Palace, his eyes glancing at Tail and Poet, who seemed to be in the midst of a deep conversation. He noticed that Tail's tail was inadvertently making a gesture that meant she had more interest in Poet than just friendship.

". . . so, the magician gave me this powers. I was a little freaked out, in any case. But after a while, I got used to it and really started to enjoy them."

Tail smiled seductively and ran her finger across his arm. "That's really great. Me? I was just born this way. But ever since I was a little kitten, I've always wanted to play in the . . . big leagues."

Poet eyed her, realizing the impression she was given off. "The big leagues, huh? Well, it looks like we've both made it there."

"Yeah," she replied, her voice becoming a little more sultry. Tail moved closer. "Looks like."

"I . . ."

Suddenly all the hair on Tail's back stood up straight and she almost jumped out her seat. "What in the name of the Ancients?!" she shouted.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I don't know! Some sort of magnetic surge! It's creating a lot of static electricity, though. Look at me!"

Poet repressed a smile as Tail's fur began to stick straight on end. The moment of fun was gone, but the sight of her looking like a big fuzz-ball was quite humorous.

***

"Talon, I'm not sure about this," Adam admitted. Teela was sitting next to him in the throne room, eyes a little worried. This was something she was concerned about. It was no secret that Talon was more than a little against Avion's constant trades with Eternos.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I - "

"KING ADAM!" shouted Man-At-Arms as he ran. "Excuse the intrusion, but we've got a problem!"

"What is it?" Adam asked, jumping to his feet.

"Energy surge - completely off the scale! It's developing right above Eternos!"

"Where? SHOW ME!"

Man-At-Arms marched out right onto a balcony, Adam, Teela, and Talon in tow. The four of them assembled and watched as strange lights began to form in the sky.

"Machinesmith, gather the others in the courtyard and prepare for anything."

"Right sir," Man-At-Arms replied.

"I'll go too," Talon decided.

***

"What is this?" asked Addison as he walked to the window, eyes gazing upon the lights in the sky. "I'm assembling the royal guard."

"Good idea," said Amelia.

"Yeah, I'm coming with you," followed Joshua.

"No, Josh. Stay here with the girls."

"Addison, we can take care of ourselves," Amelia argued. "Joshua, go with - "

"GUYS!" yelped Emily. "Shut up and look!"

The lights began to swirl and twist, taking shapes. And, then, an image appeared. A tall man, draped in a black cloak stood. A hologram, obviously, but just as imposing.

"**_Greetings Eternia! I am Master Chaos!_**" he shouted. "**_If you haven't figured it out yet, I am the one behind the assassinations of Randor, Stephan, Johanna, and Stratos, as well as the takeover of Dark Smoke, the attempted assassination of Buzz-Off and the one that unleashed the Energy Beast._**

"**_I thought it would be prudent if I made myself known. For I will be the conqueror of all Eternia within a matter of days. There is noting you can do to stop me. Absolutely nothing. BEHOLD MY POWER!_**"

The hologram disappeared. All of Eternia held its breath as new objects appeared in the sky. Comets. They shot down, smashing into Eternos. Adam held onto the balcony tightly as the comets unleashed explosions that ripped throughout the civilian area.

Then came a second barrage -this one struck the Palace. Adam grabbed Teela as flames roared before them. The two went crashing to the ground. It was then that Teela glanced up at one of the towers as a comet exploded upon it.

"Adam!" she shouted. "The children were in there!"

"Come on!" yelled Adam, pulling his wife by the wrist.

But then, lighting shot from the sky, striking across all of Eternos with a viciousness and ferocity never before seen. The throne room was one of its targets. Teela was thrown across the room as the lighting began to shatter the very floor.

The ground shook as lighting and comets both shattered the foundations of the Palace. Adam was thrown high into the air, flames engulfing the entire room.

"Teela!" he yelled out. "TEELA!"

"I wouldn't worry about her for much longer," a voice cackled from the flames. Master Chaos stepped past them and right up to Adam. "It's your turn to die."

Master Chaos' staff snapped forward and Adam found himself pinned to the floor. The staff, Adam noticed, was long and purple with a small crow statue on the top. A flash from his nightmare ran across his mind, but suddenly disappeared, as Chaos grew closer.

"I'm going to enjoy this . . ."

***

"Guys, are you okay?" asked Addison as he and his siblings all pulled themselves from the debris. Emily wiped some of the dirt from his face and then helped Amelia to her feet.

"I'm okay," she answered.

"As am I," replied Amelia.

Joshua made his way over to the trio. "I'm a little bruised. How about you?"

"I'm fine. Luckily, I rolled at that last minute," Addison breathed. A large part of him suddenly realized how close they were to dying and he wanted to hug his brother and sisters. But first thing was first . . .

"What was that?" asked Emily, the comets and the lightning strikes growing fainter outside.

"FAITH AND BEAGORA!" a strange, Irish voice shouted from behind. "You mean you can't friggin' tell!?"

The foursome spun and turned to the Treeperchaun named Tullamore standing there, holding a long, wooden staff.

"Tullamore?" asked Amelia. "From Skytree?"

"Aye, yes! Now, come! You're under attack and there's only one way to save all this from going up in smoke!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Addison. "We have to get out there and help!"

"Nay, nay, little friends! The only way to stop Master Choas and his little cronies is to come with me! Skytree can fix you up real quick and you can return to beat the snot outta old stinky pants, bad-guy!"

Emily nodded. "I say we go," she said, stepping up.

"Skytree is supposed to wise, isn't he?" asked Amelia. "Maybe he can help us."

"I'm going," Joshua decided. "Just as long as we can get there and back fast."

Reluctantly, Addison resigned himself to this and nodded. "Okay. Then let's go and hurry."

"Yes yes!" yelped Tullamore, tapping his staff against the debris-filled floor. "_Come, come, come quick! Come, come, lickty-split!_"

With that, the five of them disappeared.

***

As fires raged all across Eternos, Horn managed to get himself off the ground. "Is everyone okay?" he asked.

The rest of the group began to stand and gather. Man-At-Arms looked them all over, realizing that they were still alive, if not a bit shaken and bruised up.

"Let's start with rescue operations," Man-At-Arms ordered. "We need get the injured to safety and prepare for - "

Suddenly, just then, there was a wild explosion - knocking everyone backwards. Flames and debris were sent flying in directions. The Heroic Warriors, though, pulled themselves together . . . just in time to see their attackers.

Flame, Glass, Exile, Sensor, Basher, Smasher, Tough-Stuff, and Bombshell all stood there, ready for a big fight.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Poet as he stood with the others.

Flame smiled. "We're nothing you've ever faced before in your life," he said with cocky grin. "We're your Vile Enemies."

And with that, the battle was joined.

***

And somewhere, deep in the heart of Eternos - with Trap Jaw unconscious at his feet, Tri-Klops stood with an eerie smile on his face. His visor turned from one eye to another and he spoke.

"I told you. I warned you. They came from the east. This is only the beginning of the darkness to come."


	14. The Call of Destiny

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"The Call of Destiny"

Teela woke up to something wet licking her face. She moaned a little bit as her eyes opened and focused. Cringer grinned and stopped licking her. "Teela!" he cried. "You're awake!"

"What's happening?" she asked. "Are we still under attack?"

"Yes."

"Adam! Where's Adam?"

"Up there!" yelped Nell, who had apparently been floating nearby. He pointed up a huge portion of the Palace had been shifted up. It was burning and the flames were hard to see past, but Teela saw Adam duking it with Master Chaos.

"Should we get help?" asked Nell.

Teela paused in thought, then answered. "No. We need to find the children. Adam can take care of himself. Come on!"

***

"Stay still, damn you!" yelled Man-At-Arms as he blasted at Tough-Stuff. The laser beams kept missing her as she jumped and flipped to dodge him. Frustrated, he stood up and began to chase after her. He almost had her . . . until she disappeared around a hunk of debris that had fallen during the attacks.

"Where are you . . . ?" he whispered, trying to find her.

"Gotcha!" she shouted, kicking Man-At-Arms in the back. He was sent against the debris. Just as he pushed off, Tough-Stuff smashed his face into it. Once, twice . . .three times. About to lose consciousness, he realized that he wished he had spent more time training.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Snowball, who unleashed a chilling wind against her body. It was immediately incased in ice. She began to push against, but it would take time to bust right through it. Just as Snowball was beginning a second layer, flames circled around him.

Flame grinned. Anything that Snowball was trying to make while surrounded was melted immediately. "Not so cocky now, are you?"

Meanwhile, Basher and Smasher were chasing down Horn and Tail. Their gigantic fists kept slamming the ground, stopping them from going any further. But Horn spun around, holding his brass horn, and released a sonic wave that shook Basher's iron armor. A few bolts rumbled off, and steam blew out from one of the arms.

"Smasher! I'm down!"

"Let me at 'em!" Smasher replied, about to bare down on the pair. But Tail leapt up and delivered a decisively exact kick to Smasher throat. The gigantic warrior fell flat on his face.

"We don't have a lot of time!" she yelled, Horn following her as she ran. "Call out! We need to re-group!"

Horn yelled to the others - his voice heard probably all across Eternos. "RE-GROUP!"

***

"Where are we?" asked Amelia as she and her siblings arrived in a large forest. "I don't remember father's story about Skytree ever involving so much . . ."

"'Growth?'" finished Tullamore. "Aye, yes. This was all grown when Hordak invaded Eternia. Protection. Come come!"

The four of them walked through the trees and suddenly found themselves nearly tripping over all the roots. The sun was just about blocked out due to the large canopy. After a few minutes of walking though, the group found themselves staring down an area where there was no growth and the trees seemed to designate a path.

"Right down there!" yelped Tullamore. "Right down there, your destiny awaits!"

"Destiny?" Emily asked. "What destiny?"

She turned around, only to find the Treeperchaun vanished. "Where'd he go?" Joshua wondered. He looked around, hoping to find the little man, but with no luck.

"Come on," said Addison, leading the way. "Let's keep moving."

Slowly and unsure, the children of the royal family did walk. As they grew closer and closer to the end of the path, they noticed that the sounds of the forest increased. Birds chirped loudly, bugs buzzed merrily, animal talked softly. Even the trees themselves seemed to move and sway with no wind.

And then, the path ended and Emily, Joshua, Amelia, and Addison stood in circular opening in the forest. In the center of this opening was a gigantic tree - the likes of which they have never seen before in their entire lives.

A face seemed to appear - with eyes and a mouth - and the tree appeared to come alive - and spoke! "Greetings children of Eternia!"

All four felt compelled to bow before the great wood. "Skytree," Addison spoke for his family, "great Skytree, we are honored to meet with you."

"I see! I see! Stand now, this is no time for squatting! This is a time . . . for destiny!"

As the four began to stand, Emily felt a wave of uneasiness sweep through at that word. 'Destiny.' She found it a bit . . . intimidating.

"Worry not, young Emily!" announced Skytree. "For what you find with this adventure is no confirmation of fears that you hold!"

Emily blinked. "How did - !?"

"I am very old, you know. I can tell these things. But now is not the time to speak of me, young ones. We must speak of matters that call you and this wonderous world!"

"What do you mean, Skytree?" asked Amelia.

"Since the beginning of our knowledge, there has always been one constant on our planet," spoke Skytree. "Good and evil. It is a balance that shall forever remain in check. Where this is good, there is evil. Where this is evil, there is good. Night and day, they are like. Moon and sun. Even the bright stars have a background of darkness. Just as above the dark clouds, there is a bright sky. Forever locked in balance of motion. Constantly shifting, but always in check. As it has been since the beginning days before the Ancients."

Joshua spoke. "But I thought that it was the Zodak that created the balance?"

Skytree laughed, which sounded much like the laughter of a man mixed with the ruffling of leaves. "Young one, the Zodak only caused the balance to grow more extreme. It heightened the awareness of the balance. No, the Zodak did not create the balance. The balance of good and evil outlives us all.

"But it is the actions of the Zodak that bring you to me now," Skytree continued. "Because of Zodak, the balance of good and evil sometimes requires the necessity of champions. Things are unbalanced because of the arrival of Master Chaos to the playing field. There needs to be a counter for him. In short, a champion - or champions - of good. You four shall be those champions!"

"Us?!" Amelia sounded.

Emily felt herself smile. "Really?"

"No freaking way!" yelled out Joshua, a smile on his face.

"Wow," muttered Addison. "How do we do this?"

A branch came down from the top of Skytree and leaned down close to them. Four large nuts sat on this branch. The four of them pulled off the nuts.

"Open them and you find a talisman that will transform into the greatest of warriors!"

They cracked open the nuts and inside each one was a small, round, gold talisman that could easily sit on a chain. For each of the talismans, there was a shape. For Addison, a diamond. Amelia had a circle. Joshua's was a square. Emily possessed a triangle.

"Now what?" asked Joshua, fingers running against the talisman.

"Lift them . . . and speak the words that come to your hearts!"

The four of them glanced at one another with smiles, feeling the love for each other that seemed to have gone hidden underneath bickering and rivalry.

"BY THE HONOR OF ETERNIA . . ." the called out. ". . . WE HAVE THE POWER!"

Light flashed, energy flowed and each felt a sudden transformation take hold of their bodies. Power entered into them and Skytree spoke as they changed into warriors for the first time.

Addison felt his body began trimmer and stronger. He was definitely taller. A new armor covered his body - white and lightweight, but still stronger than he ever would have expected.

"Addison," spoke Skytree, "you will posses the power of flight, as well the ability to produce energy beams from your very eyes. You will be called Captain, in regards to your rank in the Royal Guard."

Amelia's hair grew longer as her entire body seemed to shift. She felt stronger in the legs and the arms, but also felt oddly more beautiful. Her mind also seemed to expand.

"Amelia," spoke Skytree, "you will be gifted with telepathy and telekinesis. You will be known as Order, to counter Master Chaos."

Joshua's muscles and bones grew huge as an armor seemed to appear on him. He gained at least three feet in height and nearly two hundred pounds in pure muscle mass.

"Joshua," spoke Skytree, "your strength has been increased tenfold. You will be larger and stronger in all ways. Thunder will be your new namesake."

Emily suddenly felt trimmer, taller, leaner, and much more mature. Her body was thinner that it had been and she noticed that she was now wearing a tight black bodysuit.

"Emily," spoke Skytree, "you are now far more faster than you were before. Your name shall be Speedster."

With a clap of energy and light, the four new heroes appeared in place of the four siblings. Much to their shock, a mere second was all it took to transform.

"Go forth, now!" Skytree told them. "Go forth and save Eternia!"

***

The word 'SHIELD' blocked an explosion from Bombshell, but it wouldn't handle another one. Poet somersaulted and ended up behind a hunk of debris and decided right then and there that he needed to go on the offense.

He scribbled out 'BOW AND ARROW' and one appeared in his hands, the letters taking the shape. Poet stood then and fired, the arrow striking her right in the leg. Bombshell lurched, allowing Poet to write down another word.

'EXPLOSION'

And, of course, the ground beneath her feet exploded and she was tossed backwards. Poet emerged, ready for bit more of a fight.

Elsewhere, though, Stinger was ensnared in some sort of living, snake-like chain created by the dark powers of Exile. "Get off of me!"

"Not a chance, you pretty little honey-bee!" Exile snorted, his fingers controlling chains. He was just about to tighten them - when a huge, exo-skeleton energy fist smashed down upon him!

"Why don't you listen to the lady!?" Exo shouted, punching the evil Trollian once more.

"My thanks, Phillip."

"No prob. Tail wanted us to regroup, so why don't we - "

"MY WINGS!" yelled Talon suddenly. Two energy beams were hitting them, during them into glass. Courtesy of Glass himself, naturally.

Stinger took the skies, her harpoon primed and ready. She shoved it right through Glass's chest, shattering the villain. Shards of him fell to ground. As they did, Talon's wings returned to normal.

"Are you okay?" she asked of him.

"Fine, fine. Come on, let's finish this."

"Right."

As the pair ran towards the heart of battle, Exo was about to join them. But before he could take another step, a cord slapped against his energy armor. He spun around and found Sensor as the origin point of the assault. Immediately, then, the energy armor began to disrupt and fade.

But a giant blade - created by the word 'BLADE' - snapped the cord, sending Sensor backwards. The blade slashed a bit into Sensor before it disappeared.

"You all right?" asked Poet.

"Fine. Come on," responded Exo.

As the heroes began to regroup, the Vile Enemies began to surround them. But before anyone could say anything - a sudden wind picked up.

Both Flame and Exile felt a hundred lighting-fast punches.

Two huge fists smashed against Basher and Smasher.

Crimson energy beams hit Sensor and Bombshell.

Glass and Tough-Stuff were suddenly thrown backwards.

And then - THEY appeared. Captain, Order, Thunder, and Speedster.

"Vile Enemies!" shouted Captain. "Your day is done! We are the champions of Eternia, the warriors of good! Order, check on the status of the king. Thunder, Speedster, get ready for an attack."

"What is this?" Flame asked.

Tail smiled across the way to the villain. "Don't you believe in miracles?"

Order telepathically reached out to King Adam, then grimed. "He's fighting Master Chaos, but it's not going very well."

"GO!" shouted Man-At-Arms. "We can take these losers!"

And then, before anyone could act, Man-At-Arms launched a small missile as the Vile Enemies. Captain nodded and the four headed towards the throne room . . . or whatever was left of it.

"It's over, King Adam," Master Chaos said, gripping the king by the throat. "It's too bad, too. I was hoping to share with you my big, fat secret."

"The only thing you'll be sharing . . ." Adam gasped, the hand on his neck tightening, ". . . is a place on my win list."

"YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!" released Thunder, who charged through the fires and punched Master Chaos.

"What is this!?" shouted the villain. He turned his staff towards Thunder and shot a beam of energy from it. Thunder shrugged it off and kept on moving. Master Chaos was about to try it again, when . . . he staff was suddenly missing from his hands.

"Looking for this?" asked Speedster, twirling it in her hand.

"YES!" he exclaimed, clawing his hand.

A burst of blue energy shot from it and Speedster was thrown backwards. Thunder stormed forward, definitely not happy that.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted.

Adam, who had been watching from afar, took note of this, but just kept continuing to watch.

Master Chaos brought his staff over swiftly and unleashed a heavier blast at Thunder. This one shot him to the ground. Chaos was about to finish both him and Speedster over . . . when his mind was assaulted by Order.

"How's that feel, big guy?" she asked with a grin.

"Come in a little more, honey."

Order's eyes grew wide as her mind was pulled into his own. She could feel darkness and pain and fear and anger. She pulled herself out of his brain suddenly - an action that caused Master Chaos to stumble.

"Stay down!" yelled Captain, blasting at his back from above.

"NEVER!" shrieked Master Chaos. He spun around and shot Captain to the ground. "Is this all you have to offer?"

"This is just the beginning . . ." Captain answered. "Now!"

Swift punches from Thunder racked against Master Chaos' body. They pummeled him, but he was down. Not yet. Or at least not until Order began to pelt him with rocks and telekinetically pulled the staff from his hand. Speedster then stepped in, hitting him with lightning-fast kicks and punches. Captain delivered energy beams from his eyes.

"No no no no no - NOOOO!" yelled Master Chaos. He threw his hands up in the air, tossing the four heroes back slightly. "This does not end here!"

He snatched up his staff and muttered a few words. In flash, he was gone.

Outside, as the Heroic Warriors were giving the Vile Enemies a run for their lives, beams of energy teleported them away.

"Damn," complained Exo, "and right when it was getting fun, too."

As Captain, Order, Thunder and Speedster began to recover, King Adam jogged over and smiled at them.

"Kids," he said with a knowing smile. "Great job out there today."

"Thanks Dad - I MEAN - . . . aw, shit," Thunder cursed.

"Josh, come on," Speedster groaned.

"No, no," Adam replied. "I know. You four are my children."

Captain piqued an eyebrow. "How did you . . .?"

"A father knows," Adam replied. "Plus, I guess after all these years, I can just tell these things. And your transformation doesn't seem very cosmetic."

"There you are!" yelled Teela, entering into the shattered throne room with Cringer and Nell in tow. She hugged and kissed each child. "I had a feeling something like this was going to happen."

"And how did you find out!?" asked Order, shocked.

"A mother knows. And Cringer smelled magic down there."

Adam contacted the Heroic Warriors as the four gave a quick explanation of the story. Most of the royal guard had made it out there before many people were hurt. There were only one or two casualties, but everyone was mostly taken care of. He turned back to the his children in their super-hero forms.

"So, Skytree gave you these powers, huh? Hmmm," Adam thought out loud. "I suppose now all we have to do is determine where Master Chaos came from."

"I have that answer for you, King Adam," Lynn said as she and Ninjor appeared in the ruins of the throne room.

"Lynn?" Adam questioned, surprised to see her here.

"What's going on?" asked Teela.

"These are your children?" asked Ninjor. "Then the rumors are true. We had heard they were given powers from the villagers when we entered."

"Great. Secret's out," Captain muttered.

"There goes any chance of a peaceful day at school," Speedster spoke aloud.

"Lynn," Adam addressed, "you said you had information on Master Chaos? What is it? Who is he?"

Lynn paused and then closed her eyes. "Master Chaos . . ." she began, then paused for a moment. "Master Chaos . . . is my son."

"What?!" Adam exclaimed.

"Yes," Lynn answered.

"Are you serious?!" Teela said then. Lynn nodded.

Adam blinked. "Lynn . . . who's the father?"

She took a deep breath. "That's the tricky part, King Adam. I am the mother, but the father is . . . is . . ."

"Who? Who is he?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Skeletor."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I hate to leave with a cliffhanger, but I'll be in North Carolina for the next week. What does that mean? I can't up-date until next Sunday! (gasp!) But just wait - because we're going to figure just what this shocking revelation means to our new heroes and what Master Chaos is REALLY up too. Take care and enjoy, gang! And thanks for the feed-back. It's really encouraging.

~W~


	15. The Origin of Master Chaos

CHAPTER TWELVE

"The Origin of Master Chaos"

Lynn took a brief step back as glazed-over looks ran towards her. Questioning eyes and wondering words over-lapped and shot at her. She paused and tried to answer them best she could, recalling within herself a time in the past that she had forced herself to seal away.

Just over thirty years ago . . .

There was going to be an attack. Evil Lynn was sure of this. Aliens had just landed and wanted He-Man to go with them to their home planet. To fight mutants or something. He-Man would find himself in a moral bind, because he couldn't decide whether to turn them down or take them up on this interesting little offer.

And that would make him a good enough weakness for Skeletor to so desperately try to attack and once again seize the power of Grayskull. For Evil Lynn, that meant that she had to brush up on her skills a bit.

There was a sudden knock on her door as soon she had opened one of her new Dark Arts books. Evil Lynn grinned a bit to herself. The boys actually LISTENED to her about this for once. She walked to the door, eyes looked on it the entire time.

When she opened it, she was dealt a bit of a startled gasp. Skeletor stood there, looking weary . . . and tired.

"Evil Lynn?" he asked. He _asked_ her.

"Skeletor?" Evil Lynn replied. "What brings you here at this hour? I thought you would be preparing for the attack tomorrow."

Skeletor stepped over to a window of hers and gazed out. There was a different air about him. One that told her that there was something heavy that was actually weighing him down. His emotions seemed mixed, his demeanor so very different than any she had seen before with him.

"Skeletor?" she asked at last. "There will be an attack tomorrow, right?"

"No. No . . . there won't be."

"Why not?"

He paused, then turned from the window, casting the shades close. "Because I am going to Primus."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes. Spikor and Tri-Klops are designing a new armor for me as we speak. I will be leaving Snake Mountain, and will draw He-Man away."

"Why?"

Skeletor seemingly gained a bit more confidence. Obviously, he had been rehearsing this. "Because I will draw He-Man away. He will follow me to Primus, no doubt. With the consolidation of mutant warriors there, I will join with them against their enemies' newest champion, He-Man. I will then conquer their world and come back to Eternia then, a full force in tow."

"Then what are to do? Enter Grayskull?"

"NEVER!" yelled Skeletor, but not as angry as he seemed. "No. Castle Grayskull is off-limits. Remain here."

"Alright," Evil Lynn answered, though thought immediately of betraying that command. She then noticed Skeletor poking around a nearby shelf.

"What are you looking for?"

"A memory erasing potion."

"Why?" she asked slyly.

He paused, looking worried. That was when she noticed something. Something WAS different. Skeletor seemed so . . . nervous . . . so worried . . . so afraid. Evil Lynn suddenly felt a deep sympathy for this man. Of all the troubles he had experienced in his life - all the pain, all the torment.

"Evil Lynn," he addressed at once, "I am afraid there maybe a chance that I will not return from this mission."

"That worried?"

"Silence!" he snapped. "Sorry. I was . . . Evil Lynn, there is only way for me to ask this of you. I need an heir. Your power is only second of mine, so I wish to have one with you."

Evil Lynn stood there.

And blinked. Then blinked again.

"You what?!"

"Yes. In case I do not return, I want an heir to carry out my legacy of darkness and evil. My legacy of . . . chaos. What do you say?"

She stood there for another, then stepped over to him.

Evil Lynn had never kissed a living skull and she found it warmer and soften than she ever had imagined it. "Yes, Skeletor. Yes."

The two began to kiss once more and Evil Lynn was surprised to find a tongue in his mouth. She reached around and removed his harness, while he pulled off her cape and armor. Their kisses moved into different areas, and then the two succumbed to passion . . .

After a few hours, Skeletor stood up and began to enarmor himself once more. He reached for the memory erasing potion and looked to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, pulling the blankets around her pale, naked body.

"There must be two conditions of this . . . eh, agreement."

She grinned. "Some pillow talk."

"I'm serious!" he responded. "There must be nothing holding me back to Eternia once I leave, Evil Lynn. I intend on wiping this night from my memory."

"Agreed."

"And no one must know of this, Evil Lynn."

She nodded. "Of course."

He held the bottle of the memory erasing potion and walked to the door, but paused before leaving. Skeletor paused and looked back. "Thank you," he said in a tone that she had never heard before.

Evil Lynn just smiled sultry, then moved a hand to her abdomen. "Damn it," she muttered. "Not what I had planned, but I suppose it'll due . . ."

Lynn pulled herself from the memory and found that she was only facing Ninjor, King Adam and his transformed children. The others must have left to take care of the damages and the injuries.

"So then what happened?" asked Adam.

"I was able to keep it hidden my first three months. The last third of my pregnancy was spent wandering late at night when the others were away. Other than that, I was in my quarters, ensuring that after the birth, it would seem as though it never even happened. About that time, the Horde arrived and began their war with Eternia."

"And that's why you had King Hiss negotiate the peace treaty?"

"Yes. If you look carefully, Adam, there is a small plot of land that I asked reserved for 'training and R&R.' This plot of land is the home of Chaos' adopted parents."

"What's his real name?" asked Captain.

Lynn paused. "I . . . I don't know. I gave him up the day after I had gave birth."

"And somehow he's figured out the truth about his father. That he is the son of Skeletor."

She nodded. "Yes. Much to chagrin, yes. And Skeletor had no idea that he had an heir."

Adam sighed. "Do you know what he's up to?"

"His namesake, King Adam. Pure, unadulterated chaos. But I'm beginning to think there's method to his madness . . ."

"MY KING!" shouted Man-At-Arms, dashing inside. "I'm here to give you a report."

Adam turned to the rookie advisor. "What is it?"

"Our soldiers have begun to secure the city. The Palace is another matter altogether."

Adam nodded. "I can tell. Kids, how about you convert back to your normal selves, then find your mother. I want you to go to your grandparents. Skytree has never before taken interest in the balance before and I'm curious why he has now. Lynn, both you and Ninjor are welcome to stay here."

"Thank you, Adam."

"Indeed. I will help with rescues," Ninjor replied.

"Go with Man-At-Arms, then. Machinesmith, I want a report in one hour on our current situation, then one each consecutive hour. Take Nell with you. He'll be your messenger."

"What about you, father?" asked Captain.

"I'll be available in a couple of minutes."

With that, the whole gang scattered. Captain turned to Order, Thunder, and Speedster. "Let's do this."

"MAY THE POWER FADE AWAY!" the four said as once. There was a crack of energy and a brillant light, then their real forms appeared.

"That was so cool!" shouted Joshua, jumping up and down.

"Yeah, well, I'm just hoping this news doesn't get too far . . ." Emily said sadly.

Amelia smiled at her little sister. "What are you talking about?! This will make you this most popular kid in school!" she tried truthfully.

Emily rolled her eyes, but gave Amelia some credit for trying. "Yeah . . . like that's just what I want."

***

Meanwhile, Adam walked up a steady path to the Royal Graveyard, where he had just laid to rest his father, uncle and aunt. His eyes scanned the statues that were placed in their honor, then sighed and his eyes fell upon the grave of one that was removed from the royal family.

'Keldor, son of Miro,' it said in stone letters, 'Removed from the royal family of Eternos for treason.'

Adam pressed his hand against the small grave and felt bubbling ebb of anger within him. "Damn you . . ." he cursed underneath his breath. "Damn you!" he said, his voice raising to a loud shout. "EVEN IN DEATH, YOUR BLACK LEGACY CARRIES ON! DAMN YOU, SKELETOR! DAMN YOU TO THE DEEPEST CORNER OF HELL!"

Adam punched the gravestone, cracking the skin and causing blood to leak forth. He rubbed his bloody knuckles, then found himself turning to the statue of his father. King Randor, son of Miro.

"Father . . ." he whispered slowly, placing his hand upon the statue. "Father, what am I to do? I'm worried, father. I'm . . . I . . ." He paused, finding himself falling to his knees. "I miss you, father . . . you were so strong and so wise . . . how can I take your place?"

Adam held his face in his hand as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I miss you father . . ."

For a long time, Adam said nothing more and just sat there, eyes closed in thought and remembrance. Then, a voice chimed in behind him.

"Adam?" asked Teela. "Adam, are you okay?"

He stood up and faced his wife. The pair embraced and she held his body against her own. "He would be very proud of you, Adam."

"Why?!" yelled Adam, pulling himself away. "Look at Eternos, Teela! Look at the Palace! It's all in shambles!"

She took his hand calmly. "Then show him. Make him proud of you."

He nodded. "I miss him so much, Teela."

"I know, Adam. But you can do this."

Adam took a deep breath and steeled himself. "Right," he answered. "We must be stronger than ever before."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I've hit a wall. Expect some time before I up-date again. I need to re-write and revise my plot and the main themes and ideas. BUT - look out for some brand-new stories that will shock and surprise you! And, we'll see more of this wacky guys soon enough. Thanks! ~W~


	16. Sortings

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! Got everything sorted out (check the title) and ready to roll! Enjoy!

~W~

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Sortings"

Early the next day, Peacekeeper walked with Queen Adora through the corridors of the Palace. Everything was already beginning to be repaired and Eternos was starting to look repaired. Adora took a deep breath as she entered into Adam's office.

"Adam? How are you?"

He looked up from his desk. "Alive. Yourself?"

She nodded, then sighed. "A little shaken up. How are repairs going?"

"Well. Right, now, though, I'm looking over a plan to counter-attack Master Chaos' so-called Dark Tower. It's on the southern coast of the Dark Hemisphere."

"Who's going?"

"Everyone I can gather."

"Peacekeeper is willing."

"Good. We could use her help."

"What about the children?"

Adam looked at his twin sister. "What do you mean?"

"Even I've heard the news. My nieces and nephews were given powers not so dissimilar from our own."

Adam paused and scratched his chin. "I suppose they'll be going as well."

"Is that wise?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure, really. But think of all the good we did when we gained our powers and father never would have forbade us from using them."

"That's because he never knew."

"And if he had, I doubt that he would have forbidden us from using them."

Adora paused and then sighed deeply. It was time to change the subject. She noticed a few other papers sitting on his desk besides battle plans. "What is this?" she wondered aloud, moving a flow-chart into her view.

"I've just been trying to make connections. Before Lynn's revelation, I was trying to figure the connection between what was being orchestrated."

Adora studied it. Epoch and the Trolls of Darksmoke being attacked and overthrown in a coup fueled by Chaos. The death of Randor, Stephan, and Johanna - all members of the Royal Family. The death of Stratos and the attempted assassination of Buzz-Off. The death of . . . King Seahawk?

"Adam, why is my husband listed here?"

He looked up at her. "I don't know. I guess it just came to me."

"What do you mean? Seahawk's been dead for seven years, Adam. Master Chaos had nothing to do with it."

"I felt the need to consider him as an earlier target. He was part of the Royal Family."

"Not through blood, Adam. He died in that storm. Don't you remember?"

"Uh . . . yes, but I just felt that - "

"Adam," Adora practically begged. "Don't bring his memory into this. You may have suspected his involvement, but you know that it's not true. Please."

He nodded, suddenly feeling very guilty. "I'm sorry, Adora. You're right. I shouldn't have even bothered to think it."

"Thank you."

Just then, there was a light tap on the door. "Come in," Adam bellowed. The door opened and in walked Teelana.

"King Adam, Queen Adora," she addressed. "I must speak to you and the others immediately."

Adam stood up at her request. "Regarding what?"

"I may have lost most of my powers in the destruction of Grayskull, but some still remain with me. I now know the full extent of Master Chaos' plans and it is nothing less than universal annihilation."

***

Sounds of wood-cutting and stone moving filled Talon's ears as he landed onto on the remains of the courtyard. Avions were heading south, now, to help out in the repair of Eternos. Part of him smiled at this. It was, this, Eternos depending on the aide of Avion.

"Talon!" yelped Man-At-Arms, rushing over. "King Adam wants to see immediately."

Talon nodded and he followed the warrior formerly known as Machinesmith towards what remained of the Meeting Hall.

Duncan, the former Man-At-Arms, sat in there as well. Along with him, there was also former Sorceress of Grayskull Teelana. Mer-Man, King Felinus, Buzz-Off, and Stinger had joined this group. Of course, so had King Adam, Queen Teela, Queen Adora, and their children. Rounding out the group was Lynn, the alleged mother of Master Choas.

Man-At-Arms and Talon sat down with them.

"Thank you for coming, Talon," Adam said. "I suppose we should just get down to the point of the matter. Teelana?"

"Thank you, Adam. As you many of you know, I was once the Sorceress of Grayskull. Fulfilling that role meant that I would gain incredible powers and insights. When Grayskull was destroyed twenty-five years ago, I lost most of those powers and insights. But to this day, some still remain within me"

Teelana paused, observing everyone that sat before her. "Thousands of years ago, before the age of the Kings of Eternos, or the guidance of the Elders. Before the Zodak, and King Hiss, and He-Ro. Even before the reign of the Energy Beast, there existed the most powerful beings that we know of - the Ancients.

"It was under the leadership of the Ancients that we Eternians were able to move from being the barbarians that we once were to people we are now. Known to very few, though, is exactly what the Ancients created during their reign. Nor what truly happened to them."

"Created?" asked Amelia. "What do you mean?"

"At some point during their lifetimes, the Ancients created twenty-five stones. Each stone reflected a different element of Eternia. These stones were laid out into sets. There is the elemental set, consisting of the Gardeners Stone, the Wind Stone, the Water Stone, and the Fire Stone.

"There is also the concept set, which is the Strength Stone, the Thought Stone, the Heart Stone, and the Population Stone. Next is the peoples set, which includes the Animal Stone, the Stone of Men, the Anthro Stone, and the Ancients Stone. Finally, the forces set, that of there is the Phoenix Stone, the Science Stone, the Sorcery Stone, and the Unity Stone."

Adam looked curiously at the others, then back over at Teelana. "A few of these have been used. The Gardener's Stone and the Phoenix Stone. Both were placed into Grayskull Tower."

"Indeed. But there are many others out there somewhere on Eternia. Lost for thousands of years. There are even rumors of one or two being placed on Etheria," Teelana explained. "It is Master Chaos' goal to seek out these stones and use them to spread his evil across the universe."

"You said there were twenty-five stones, but you only named twenty-four," Talon snapped suddenly.

"The final stone is unknown even to me. Only that it exists is all that I know."

"Does Master Chaos have any of these stones yet?" asked Mer-Man.

"Yes," Teelana replied. "Loxx, who possessed the Strength Stone, gave it to Master Chaos. It was shortly after you, Adam, went to see Loxx. I did not even know that he had it until it was too late."

"And when did you discover this all?" Lynn questioned.

"Only last night, in a dream."

Adam sighed and looked down. "We must find these Stones before Master Chaos does."

"But how?" wondered Man-At-Arms, glancing at Duncan.

"There was one other that may know," Teelana replied. "Only I knew the location of the Phoenix Stone and the Strength Stone. But Count Marzo . . . he somehow uncovered the location of the Gardener's Stone. We never knew how."

"But Count Marzo is imprisoned in a fetal state. He's barely begun gestating," Adam brought up. "I don't even know who the mother is."

"The power of Grayskull will seek out the Count," Teelana said. "It is there we must go next. We must seek out the location of the Stones."

"Agreed," Adam stated, standing up. "Alright. Our attack on Dark Tower has been canceled for now. We need to concentrate on repairs and - "

Suddenly, the doors were thrown open. A young member of the Bear-people came staggering in, bruised and bloodied and obviously exhausted.

"Help us . . ." he moaned, collapsing onto the ground. Teela dashed over and caught him before he completely fell. "Razor Tongue led an attack from Darksmoke . . . the Bear-People were caught unaware . . . he's conquered our land . . . and we've been enslaved . . ."

"Calm yourself," Teela soothed.

"MEDIC!" yelled Adam.

"One more thing . . ."

"Rest," Teela answered.

"King Adam . . ." attempted the Bear. "My name is Marcus . . . my king ordered me to give this . . . before the palace was taken . . ."

Marcus reached out and handed Adam a crumbled piece of paper. As medics and doctors rushed, Adora and the others stepped over to Adam.

"What is it?" they asked as he looked over it.

"It's the proposed treaty. They've accepted it."

"Adam," Duncan said straightly, "Eternos can not muster an attack right now. This is a distraction. He's trying to throw us into chaos. That's why he's named himself that."

"Duncan is right," Lynn agreed. "We must stay the course."

"Man-At-Arms?"

The young advisor nodded. "I have to agree. We don't have the manpower to fight off Dark Tower, repair Eternos, hunt down the Stones, and liberate the Bear-People."

Adam nodded sadly. "Then what we need . . . is an inside job."


	17. Visions

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Visions"

Two days after the most eventful day in her life and Emily, son of Adam, was already back at school. But this time, there was a difference. A major difference. One she had never expected. When she came back, she was more than ready for a "you're a super-hero! That's so cool! Just like your Dad, the most famous person in the universe!"-type reception.

No.

Instead, what young Emily got were stares and looks and whispers. No one dared go near her. No one even spoke to her. When she first started to go to the City of Wisdom and everyone asked her about He-Man and She-Ra and Teela and the Sorceress, Emily figured that would be the worst. But no. This was far worse than any of that. She was being ignored and talked about behind her own back.

Emily hated it. She hated this more than anything else in the world. Not that she enjoyed being questioned about things that happened before her own birth, but at least people were talking to her. Sitting in class that afternoon, she felt more alone than she ever had in her entire life.

Finally, she just let go and allowed her mind to wander. Her eyes strayed over to the window and she watched as puffy white clouds rolled across the blue sky. She sighed and wondered if Talon ever had to go through anything like this. Maybe it was one of the reasons he was arrogant and abrasive all the time.

He seemed to have such as short fuse. And when it was lit, his eyes would get so wide and his brow would furl. He just looked so damn sexy . . .

Emily suddenly broke from her daydream to realize that everyone in the class was staring at her. She was about to question this, when she heard a beeping coming from her book-bag. It was her communicator, only to be used in cases of emergencies.

"Um, can I be excused?"

Her teacher, a tall, old woman, seemed to snarl and looked down at the curly-haired girl. "Fine, fine. Go save the world."

"Uh, thanks."

Emily rushed out of the room and made it out into the hallway before her face turned _too_ beet red. "I hate this life," she muttered to herself. She dug into her book-bag and pulled out the communicator. "Uh, Emily here."

"Emily, this is your father."

"Dad, I was in the middle of class."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Adam dismissed swiftly, not nearly realizing what she had just gone through. "We need you at Grayskull Tower. Peacekeeper is on her way. Teelana needs to see the both of you."

Emily struggled internally. "But . . . er, okay Dad. I'll be there soon."

"Thanks honey. There'll be a Talon Fighter there in about thirty minutes. Adam out."

Lowering her head, Emily considered walking back in there and telling her teacher, but figured that it wasn't worth it. She made for her dorm to desposit her book-bag, then waited for Peacekeeper to arrive.

***

Master Chaos stepped off of his transport and found himself upon the highest peak of Darksmoke. Dark dragons soared above him as Trolls prepared to take some of their prisoners to the village of the Bear-people. A new dungeon had been created there and it was decided that it would be the best place for their forces leaders of the mountain.

"Master Chaos," hissed Razor Tongue suddenly, appearing form behind.

"Razor Tongue. How go things here at Darksmoke?"

"Well. The support you have given us has aided in our takeover of both here and the Bear-country," Razor Tongue continued. "Our forces are re-mustering there. How is your quest?"

"Progressing."

"What about what you have promised me?"

"It is difficult, but it will occur soon."

Razor Tongue grumbled a bit, then looked up. Things were going well. It was all coming together.

***

Within the inner sanctum of Grayskull Tower, the former Sorceress of Grayskull feels her old connection spark to life. Though much of Grayskull was changed twenty-five years ago and she was released from its guardianship, part of her will always remain with Grayskull.

Peacekeeper mentally noted the shift in Teelana's demeanor, but didn't say anything about it. Her gaze moved towards Emily. She was putting off upset emotions, but didn't say anything as Teelana called her over. Teelana must have been sensing this too, because she questioned Emily about it.

"It's nothing, Grandma. Nothing."

Teelana shook her head. "Oh, I think I know a little better than that, Emily," she replied with a grin. "You feel uncomfortable with your new position, don't you?"

"Yeah, well, I've been dealing with that for a while," confessed young Emily.

Teelana laid a hand on her arm. "I understand," she said honestly. "But there are great things ahead of you, Emily, daughter of Adam. Great, wonderful things."

Emily saw something in her grandmother's eyes. It was a look she only saw every once and a while. A special, deep look that told her that there was something far more than that what she was saying. Emily found herself smiling at the old woman, and nodded.

"Really?"

Teelana moved her hand to Emily's cheek. "Very wonderful things."

Emily flushed and all the embarrassment passed from her. "Thank you," she replied.

Her grandmother smiled and turned to Peacekeeper, who sat in front of Teelana. "Are you ready, Peacekeeper?"

"Then let us begin."

Teelana placed her fingers onto Peacekeeper's temples and she did the same to Teelana. Together, their minds touched and were immediately stronger than they were when separated. The mental signature of Count Marzo appeared in the minds, and it reached out, trying to find him.

The telepathic search waved and pulsated across Eternia, searching for one person . . . for one being . . .

"Nothing," said Teelana suddenly then.

"Really?" questioned Emily, eyes bouncing from Teelana to Peacekeeper.

"Absolutely nothing. His mind can't be sought after this way. Damn it," complained Peacekeeper, pulling her hair out of its ponytail.

"There is another way," pointed out Teelana. "Tri-Klops."

Peacekeeper blinked. "What about him?"

"His latest ability to see the past, the present, and the future. You were wrong when you believed it to be hallucinations. It is the truth."

Emily nodded and stood up. "Alright, then let's go get him."

***

A few hours later, the trio reconvened at Eternos, where Tri-Klops and Trap-Jaw were staying. Peacekeeper approached Tri-Klops slowly, still surprised that he wasn't hallucinating - though not completely convinced he wasn't.

"I knew you would come," Tri-Klops said, looking straight at her. His eye spun. "I saw you coming!" His eye spun again. "I see you leaving!"

"Tri-Klops . . ." Peacekeeper soothed, sitting down in front of him. "I need your help. We must find Count Marzo and we believe that your sight is the key to this. Since one of your eyes can see the present, we believe we can augment that to locate him. But I'll need to enter your mind. Is that alright?"

Tri-Klops smiled. "Fine with me," he told her, eyes spinning. "But you'll have to figure out which eye is which because I certainly can't!"

She nodded slowly, then placed her hands on his face. Her mind pressed against his and was accepted slowly. She felt the pulsating power of his mind and was suddenly sucked in. Peacekeeper mentally reached for the eyes, and the power they had. They were the key here . . .

__

. . . and then everything changed. Flashes danced around her, whispers and sounds twittering as one . . .

"The past . . ."

__

My eyes! What have you done to my eyes!?

"The present . . ."

We need to find Count Marzo.

"The future . . ."

__

Launch the attack! To the Sands of Time!

"The present . . ."

I'm inside your mind!

"The past . . ."

__

I will serve you, Skeletor.

"The present . . ."

I'm here! Keep your eye focused here! I can't!

"The past . . ."

__

I must attack He-Man.

"The future . . ."

__

I have all of the Stones! Victory is mine!

"The present . . ."

Remain here, focus here! We have to find Marzo! Come on, you have to -

"The past . . ."

__

Launch the attack on Grayskull.

"The present . . ."

Stay here! Help me look beyond space!

"The future . . ."

__

We're too late!

"The pas - the present!"

__

Yes! That's it! Stay focused here! Set your eye on the present, not the future and not the past! Here! Remain here!

"The future . . . no . . . not the past . . . the present! My eye is on the present and I see it!"

__

That's it! THAT'S IT! Now look beyond space, see beyond our telepathic limitations! Do you see it? Yes! You see it! I see it too! YES!

There was sudden flash and Peacekeeper was physically blasted back into her body, which feel backwards. Tri-Klops yelled loudly as his eyes spun wildly. Finally, they both began to calm down. Peacekeeper stood up and took a breath.

"It works now," Tri-Klops said. "I can see all three, but not at the same time. Only when I want to. Thank you."

"Thank you."

Peacekeeper then turned to the door, and faced Man-At-Arms, King Adam, Emily, and Trap-Jaw. "I've found him."

Adam nodded and looked to Man-At-Arms. "Assemble a team."


End file.
